Persona 3: Birth of the Hero
by personaddict07
Summary: A novelization of Persona 3 & incorporates some elements from other SMT games. Minato is a calculating person who has hidden agendas for joining SEES, although he might find out that the 'Hidden Hour' might be more that he can handle. But maybe... just maybe he could find love as well? Minato x Mitsuru(?) Please REVIEW! [the REAL CHAPTER 15 NOW UP!]
1. Prologue

WARNING**! **

DO NOT READ THIS STORY OF YOU WISH TO BE IGNORANT OF THE FATE OF THE WORLD. 

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This is your last chance. Your eyes will be opened! This is not a joking matter.

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Don't say I didn't warn you…

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…

Good. If you read this far, you must be prepared.

Read on brave one. And open your eyes.

**Persona 3: The Birth of A Hero**

**PROLOGUE**

Hey you! Yes, you the person reading these very words sitting on a comfy chair or lying on a cozy bed unaware of the fate of the world. You're probably wondering what I meant by 'unaware'. You see, you may not be noticing it but we are not alone on earth, and no. I am not talking about aliens or unicorns or dragons or things like that but I'm talking about things that come from the deepest part of our beings, our dark alter egos. These things represent mankind's deepest and darkest wishes. We call them "Shadows".

You're probably wondering if there's any truth to any of the things I'm saying. It's true. I used to be like you before, oblivious to the hidden things of the night, but now that my friends and I have seen the things we have, I know the truth and I decided to share it with you. But I guess you're still thinking… "Who is this guy, anyway? Saying these things out of nowhere and saying it's the truth…" Come to think of it, I haven't introduced myself to you yet have I?

My name is Minato Arisato.

Remember it. And if you still have any doubts about what I told you, I have some proof to convince you. Remember those things I told you about, those Shadows? Well, my friends and I have the power to fight back. We are the only ones who can fend them off, don't worry we'll do that to the best of our abilities. And since you decided to read on and stay with me, I'm going to tell you our story. And if there is any chance that we don't live to see tomorrow, I'm counting on you to pass our story on and learn from it. Don't turn your back on me now, I'm counting on you.

Let's start shall we?


	2. Chapter 1: Now it Begins

**Okay, let's start. Let's start at the day I first stepped foot at Tatsumi Port Island. I can remember it as it was yesterday… **

_**Chapter One: Now It Begins…**_

"_Time never waits._

_It delivers all equally… to the same end…_

_You, who wish to safeguard the future,_

_However limited it may be…_

_You will be given one year;_

_Go forth without falter,_

_With your heart as your guide"_

_April 6, 2009, Evening_

MONDAY

Today is another typical day for me. There's nothing special in walking around the monorail station heading to Tatsumi Port Island, a man-made island made and owned by the Kirijo Group. A hundred conversations all around me, my ears listening to none but my trusty headphones, my thoughts wandering as I waited in an orderly line, my duffel bag on my shoulders.

I'm not supposed to be here.

My grandfather would kill me if he found out that I've disobeyed him for the umptenth time and where I was heading. Well, I'm actually supposed to be on a train bound for Tokyo but I have to go to Iwatodai. I know it's against his wishes but, I knew that if I asked, he'd never let me go. Worse, he'd keep me under surveillance.

Yes, surveillance. Not grounded, surveillance.

Besides, Gekkoukan seems like a good place to finish my high school education. I sat down, fiddled with my mp3 player and played the song Burn My Dread as soon as we entered the monorail. There is one thing, though that makes me sort of reluctant to go to Tatsumi Port Island. I'm sort of reluctant to go because it was the place where… it was the place where my parents died. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a mopey kind of person, I'm not the type of person to curse the world, thinking it's against me. I just don't want to experience that kind of memories. Bad ones.

Okay, enough with the sad life stories. It's not like there's anything I can do about it anyway. I looked outside and was startled to see a blue butterfly on the window. I didn't know that butterflies can come in that particular shade of blue. The butterfly was there for a moment and then it flew away. Seeing it made me think of that old saying, when a butterfly beats its wings in China a tornado appears in America, or something like that.

_Late Evening_

I rolled my eyes as I heard the voice over the PA system say an apology. I heard the muffled voice even though I was still wearing my earphones. Oh well, since when were trains on time? I estimated that the train was over two hours late. Which would mean it was around midnight.

"_Iwatodai, Iwatodai"_ the PA system said as the train stopped. _"__This is the final train bound for Tatsumi Port Island. Please make sure you board in time for departure…"_ I got off the train and looked around. There was still a lot of people, even at this hour but I didn't care. I was tired.

It had been a long day and there was the first day of school tomorrow. I paused and took out a note from my pocket. It had the directions to the dorm I was supposed to stay in and the last thing I wanted was to get lost at this time. "Let's see… where was it? I'm here and…" I was whispering to no one in particular when the clock struck midnight.

My music died.

"Huh?" I said, surprised at the sudden change. I looked at my surroundings and realized that it was not only my mp3 player that had shut down. My music died but so did everything else. The constant babble of the crowd, the machines and even the lights died. But the most surprising of all was the moon. It had grown to almost twice its size and it had taken on an eerie glow that illuminated all beneath it. The clock at the top of the station was stuck at 12:00 am and the monorail was silent. It was then that I noticed that I was the only thing moving.

The crowd that was around me before was suddenly silent. I was the only human being in sight.

"What in the world?" I said with disbelief. "What the heck is this?" It was like I was suddenly sucked into a late night horror movie. I almost expected Dracula to come out of nowhere. I was surrounded by coffins. Red tinted, dark coffins stood where there used to be humans. Accompanied with the creepy light of the abnormal moon, the coffins looked even _creepier_. Looking around once more, I took a step forward. As I did this, it occurred to me "_Why am I not inside a creepy coffin right now?"_ I hesitated a moment longer and sighed.

This is probably some sort of misunderstanding. I'm probably in the middle of a horror movie shooting, and they probably mistook me for an extra. _I should get to the dorm first then figure out what to do from then._

I made my way to the dorm but, once I left the platform… I saw that it was not only the station that was strangely transformed but every place that I could see. But that's not all, once I stepped foot at Moonlight Bridge, the hairs at the back of my neck stood on end when I saw that the water turned to blood.

So, note in hand, ignoring things that I saw, I made my way to the dorm immediately. Without a proper watch, I couldn't tell how much time passed. But I think it was around 30 to 45 minutes before I reached the steps to the front door of the dorm. The dorm wasn't that far from the station, but then again, I wasn't moving very fast. Looking around every time I reached a corner tended to slow one's pace. But hey, you can't be too careful, right?

Looking around one more time, I adjusted my duffel bag and opened the double doors of the dorm. Once I got inside, I paused and put my bag on the ground. I expected the lights to be on but then again, at this late hour, most students would be asleep. I warily looked around and inspected the reception desk with my gaze. The reception desk seemed normal enough, nothing out of the ordinary. I sighed and tried to convince myself to forget what happened outside. I bent to pick up my bag, deciding to sleep the remainder of the night away.

"You're late."

I twitched, turning immediately at the direction of the voice. Behind the reception desk, there now stood a young boy dressed in white pajamas with black horizontal stripes. The boy was watching me and I, him.

"I've been waiting a long time." The boy said, taking a piece of paper from the desk. "Please sign here." He said, gesturing me to come closer.

I walked closer, looked at the innocent figure of the boy then at the piece of paper he was giving me. "What's this?" I asked, casually not betraying my wariness of the whole situation.

The boy smiled, as if he was itching to answer the question. "It's a contract. There's no need to be afraid. It only binds you to accepting full responsibility for your actions."

_Only?_ I thought. Looking at the paper he gave me, I saw that there was something written. "_I chooseth this fate of mine own free will…" _What's with the old English? Did the writer come from the 14th century or something? Then as if the boy was reading my mind, he chuckled. Below those words, there was a blank. For my name I presume.

"Please sign here." The boy tapped the paper with a pen. Don't ask me where he got it. I thought, _Oh well, if signing this would end this crazy night_. I took the pen from the boy's outstretched hand and signed.

The contract looked something like this.

_I chooseth this fate of mine own free will… _

Minato Arisato

"Very well." The boy said, taking the paper. "Time is something no one can escape." He said as he left the reception desk. "It delivers us all to the same end. Wishing it won't make it go away. And so it begins…"

_Begins? What begins? _And just like that, the boy disappeared into the shadows. Before I even had time to be surprised, another voice, this one a girl's said, "Who's there!?"

I was getting tired of these voices appearing out of nowhere. I was tired and sleepy. I sighed before I turned, barely able to keep my expression straight. I raised one eyebrow when I saw her. It wasn't because she was pretty, it was because she was even more surprised to see me, than I was to see her. She was stammering, saying something like, "Why are you here? But it's…" Or something like that.

I probably had a bored or annoyed expression on my face. But it changed to one of wariness when I saw what she was holding. A gun. She was about to raise it from its holster and I simultaneously stepped forward when another voice stopped me.

"Takeba, wait!"

I looked over the previous girl's shoulder to see the speaker. It was another girl with red hair curled by the length of her shoulders. She had a similar ribbon to the first girl but hers was significantly larger. Their clothes were similar enough to be of the same school. It was then that I noticed that both of them wore a red armband with the letters SEES over them.

And both of them had holsters by their waists. _What the heck? Is this SEES thing some sort of mafia organization? _I relaxed when the girl with the short hair (Takeba, I presume) lowered her gun. But I was ready enough to jump at a moment's notice. The second girl was calm, which made me wary and calm at the same time. She had a similar effect on the first girl.

My eyes remained glued to the two when the green light of the moon faded away and the lights went on. My mp3 player resumed playing 'Burn My Dread' and the sound filled the room. The first girl remained tense a moment longer and then finally relaxed. _Hmm… so the creepy night fades… Is that the reason she was so tense? I wasn't inside a coffin like everyone else, then again, so weren't they…_

I stood straight, relaxing from my position. I put my bag on top one of the couches, forgetting the tension from before.

"We didn't think you would arrive so late." The redhead said. "Late trains as usual?"

"Yeah." I smiled. "It's pretty typical of trains, huh?"

The redhead nodded in agreement. "My name is Mitsuru Kirijo. I'm one of the students who live in this dorm." _One of the students, huh? Why do I get the feeling that this dorm has few residents? Wait... Kirijo? As in KIRIJO GROUP?_

"Who's he?" The first girl asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"My name is Minato Arisato." I offered my hand. "It's nice to meet you."

We shook hands. _Yeah, that's it, just forget that you were about to shoot me. Were all one happy family here, right?_

"He's a transfer student. It was a last minute decision to assign him here." Mitsuru answered her question. "He'll eventually be moved to a room in the boy's dorm."

_Boy's dorm? Hey, come to think of it… I did see two girls when I came in, I'm not seeing any boys here…_

"Is it okay for him to be here?" Takeba asked. _Great. First night at Iwatodai and I get to spend it in a girl's dorm… Sigh. Why do these things keep happening to me?_

"I guess we'll see…" Mitsuru said. "This is Yukari Takeba. She'll be a junior this spring, just like you."

"Hi I'm Yukari." She said. _So her first name is Yukari._

"Is this the Girl's dorm?" I asked, better to be sure than to assume…

"No, it's not. but…" Yukari said and I couldn't keep the expression of relief from my face. "Umm… how should I explain it?" She said, turning to Mitsuru.

I couldn't help but feel extremely suspicious. "This is a co-ed dorm." Mitsuru said. "This is not your typical dorm though."

_Really? Well she's not lying, but she's not telling the truth. Not all of it. I do have to commend her though, she said it with a straight face. _

Then, she said. "I'll explain it to you later when I get the chance." As if she sensed that I don't exactly buy what she said. "Your room is on the second floor. Your things should already be there. Takeba will show you the way."

I followed Yukari to the second floor. As we walked, I noticed that most of the rooms we walked by were empty. My room was at the end of the hallway. "Your room is pretty easy to remember right?" She said. "Do you have any questions?"

_What kind of questions? Oh, I wonder who __that kid was… _

"Does that kid live here too?" I asked. But she didn't seem to know what I was talking about. Or maybe, she's pretending to.

"Arisato-kun, can I ask you something?" She asked. I nodded. "On your way here from the station, was everything okay?"

"Yeah." I said with a straight face, just to see her reaction. It was true, as weird as the night had been, I did make it to the dorm safely…

"I see…" She breathed a sigh of relief. "Never mind then. Good night."

I watched her as she walked down the stairs. Finally, now I can get some rest. I opened the door and entered, unaware of a small figure by the corner. "Hahaha. Now it begins…"

_Minato's Room_

True. My things were already at my room each of them in their respective boxes. I decided to put off unpacking till tomorrow. I opened my duffel bag and took my school uniform out. I purposely packed it in, just in case I arrived too late and was too tired to unpack. After I hanged my uniform, I laid my duffel bag on the floor and kicked my shoes off. I lied down on the bed and closed my eyes.

_So, Mitsuru Kirijo huh? Man, Grandfather is definitely going to kill me when he finds out. Sharing a dorm with the daughter of the Kirijo Group's CEO which just turns out to be Skylark's fiercest competitor. Ugh. _

_But man, what a night. The very moment I arrive, the city transforms. When I get to the dorm, a boy in prison clothes tells me to sign a weird contract. Then he disappears without a trace. Soon, a girl almost shoots me and Mitsuru Kirijo herself appears. Afterwards, we all act as if nothing happened. Come to think of it, most of the rooms we passed were empty. Is that a bad omen or what? I'm probably just overreacting. I hope this all makes sense tomorrow._

Author's Note: I added a few more tidbits in this chapter. Oh, and in case you were wondering what the heck a _Skylark_ is... (Uh, no. It's not the bird) Hahaha. Just tune in on to find out!


	3. Chapter 2: Gekkoukan High

_**Chapter Two: Gekkoukan High**_

_April 7, 2009, Early Morning_

_Minato's Room_

TUESDAY

I woke up early and took a bath. I was already dressed in my school uniform and clearing the boxes for an easy unpacking once I got home. I looked up when I heard someone knocking on my door.

"It's Yukari. Are you awake?"

Hearing that, memories of last night flooded to me. The city's transformation, the boy, Yukari and Mitsuru… I shook my head and opened the door.

"Good morning. Did you sleep okay?" Yukari asked.

"Yeah. Good enough, I suppose." I answered.

"Oh, that's great." Seeing the boxes, she said. "I see you've started to unpack your things."

"Nah." I said "I'm just clearing for an easy unpacking once I get home."

"Yeah? You're pretty resourceful huh?" Yukari said. "Anyway, Mitsuru-senpai asked me to take you to school. Are you ready to go, Arisato-kun?"

_I don't really need someone to take me to school. Then again, I don't want to get late on the 1__st__ day… I guess sight-seeing can wait till later._

"Yeah." I said, looking at my room before we leave. "Let's go."

_Inside "Anehazuru"_

Yukari and I boarded the monorail. I noticed that there were a lot of Gekkoukan students aboard.

"We have to take the monorail to get to school." Yukari said, striking up a conversation. "Bet your last school wasn't like that, huh?"

"Yeah, my last school wasn't like this." I answered. "Then again, most schools in Tokyo don't have water surrounding them."

"Well, this is my favorite part. It feels like your gliding over the sea here." She said. At her words, I looked over the crystal clear waters.

_Moonlight Bridge… There. That's where __that__ happened._ _What did I hope to gain by coming here? It's not like I can remember much of what happened anyway. I have to find out what happened back then... but..._

_C'mon Arisato. Stop pitying yourself. This is not like you._ I looked to my left to catch Yukari staring at me. "Oh, I'm sorry. Uh, you were saying?"

"Oh, um…" Yukari blinked then she looked away. "We will walk from Port Island Station." _Did I do something wrong? _After a while, she turned to me and smiled. "Have you ever heard of Tatsumi Port Island? Our school is right in the middle."

"I see." I said. Looking at the window, I saw the building. "Is that it?"

"Yep."

_Gekkoukan. I wonder how things will turn out?_

_Gekkoukan High_

"Well, here we are. Gekkoukan High!" Yukari said, acting like a tour guide. I couldn't but laugh, not noticing the stares of other students.

"Morning!" said a female student.

"Good Morning." I said.

"Morning!" Yukari said. "You're gonna love it here!" She said, turning to me.

Once we reached the shoe lockers, Yukari asked me if I was okay from there.

"Yeah. Thanks, Takeba-san." I replied.

"No prob." She said. "You should see your homeroom teacher first. The Faculty Office is to our left."

"And that concludes the tour, huh?" I asked her.

Yukari chuckled. "Pretty much. You have any questions before I go?"

I shook my head. Yukari's face grew serious as she leaned closer "About last night… Don't tell anyone what you saw, okay?"

"I wasn't going to. It's not like anyone's gonna believe me anyway." I said.

She smiled again. "See you later!"

I decided to go to the bulletin board before the Faculty Office. Near it I heard two students arguing about the boy's uniform. At my first look, I couldn't see my name. I guess it made sense that there were so many names in the roster. I looked for my name one more time and I saw a small note with my name on it "Minato Arisato- Class F". I looked closer and saw Yukari's name on the list as well._ Hmm… so we're in the same class huh?_

I went to the Faculty Office next. Once I entered, I saw a teacher seated in front of a desk. She had short hair with a shade of brown a bit darker than Yukari's. "Oh, are you the new student? Minato Arisato…" She frowned a bit when she saw my name. Then she shrugged and said, "You are in the eleventh grade, right?"

Then she flipped through the pages of my profile. "You've lived in a lot of different places, Minato-kun. Your previous school was in Tokyo, let's see… in 1999, ten years ago, right? Your parents…" She gasped then, she looked at me.

I don't know if I kept the look of annoyance from my face. The teacher stammered. "I-I'm sorry… I've been so busy and I…" her voice faltered.

"I saw in the bulletin board that I was in Class F." I said, deciding to change the subject.

"Uh, yes, I'm Ms. Toriumi. I teach Composition." She said, obviously thankful for the change of subject. "Welcome to our school."

I nodded. "Thank you, Ms. Toriumi. It's nice to meet you."

She was impressed by my enthusiasm and told me that we have to go to the Welcoming Ceremony. I followed her to the auditorium. Once I got myself seated, I got what I was expecting. A boring talk by a boring principal. I pinched myself to prevent me from nodding off. Then a school mate turned to me and started talking. "Hey, dude. Since you came to school with Yukari this morning, don't deny it man, I saw the two of you walking together."

"Okay… what about it?" I asked.

"Do you know if she has a boyfriend?" He asked.

_Well, she is pretty, so it isn't too far to assume that she's popular. So it makes sense that people are interested in her… _

"Huh? Why are you asking me? I wouldn't know." I answered.

The guy was pretty disappointed. Then he asked me with a follow up question. "How well do you know her?"

I was saved from answering when a snobby looking teacher protested. Ms. Toriumi scolded us so she wouldn't get in trouble. Her warning was ignored however. The students were even more encouraged to talk because of it.

_After School_

I leaned back in my chair once homeroom ended. My first day wasn't so bad. After the introduction, things went by quickly. I still felt some unease in being the new guy though.

"Sup dude?"

I turned to see the source of the voice and saw a student sporting a baseball cap and a dress shirt underneath his uniform. The student with the goatee emanated a carefree spirit.

"How's it goin?" He asked me.

"Not bad. This morning nearly bored me to death though." I stood up from my chair and leaned on it with my hands in my pockets. "Who're you?"

"Me? Name's Junpei Iori." He stretched his hand out. "Nice to meet ya."

I shook his hand. "Minato Arisato."

"Yeah. So I heard. You're the new guy right?" His smile grew even wider. "I transferred here myself when I was in 8th grade. So I know how tough it is to be the new guy."

"Tell me about it." I shrugged.

"Hey, it's Yuka-tan!" Junpei said, looking over my shoulder. It turns out he was referring to Yukari. "I didn't think we'd be in the same class again."

_Yuka-tan? As in Yucatan, Mexico? I can bet it's typical of Junpei to brand people with nicknames like that._

Slightly annoyed by my smirk, Yukari chastised Junpei. "I swear you'll talk to anyone if they listen. Did you ever think you might be bothering someone?"

"Bothering? Hey me 'n Minato here are havin' fun! Right man?" Junpei laughed.

"If you say so…" Yukari said. She turned to me. "Anyway, some coincidence we'd be in the same homeroom huh?"

"Yeah." I stood straight. "If you believe in that kind of stuff."

"Still, it is surprising." Yukari said.

"Were you surprised to be in the same class as Junpei here?" I asked. Happy that he was included in the conversation, Junpei beamed.

"Yeah. By the way, I heard that the two of you came to school together this morning." Junpei leaned closer to the two of us. "What's the deal with that? Spill it man!"

"Wha-what are you talking about?!" Yukari stammered.

"What?" I asked blankly._ Why are people here assuming things too quickly?_

"We live in the same dorm." Yukari went frantic. Her face pink. "There's nothing going on between us, okay?"

_She's pretty touchy about it, huh…_

"Really?" Junpei smiled his mega-watt grin and elbowed me. "Minato here aint denying anything."

"N-no. There's nothing. Really." I said.

"You see?" Yukari turned to me. "Hey… you didn't say anything to anyone about…. You know what, did you?"

_Not here! Especially in front of a jumping-to-conclusions Junpei._

I tried to play it innocent. "You know what?"

"Don't tell me you forgot already!" Yukari said.

"I was only kidding. Don't worry about it." I reassured her.

"I'm serious." She glared at me. "Don't say anything about last night!"

_Uh- oh…_

"Last Night? Did I hear it correctly? Last Night?" Junpei stared at the two of us.

I smacked my forehead. Yukari almost stumbled as she realized what she just said.

_Okay. Time to play it cool, like always._

"Don't get the wrong idea, Stupei. I meant what I said. There's nothing going on between us!" Yukari yelled.

"Then what's this late night business that you don't want anybody to know about?" Junpei asked. His eyes narrowed to slits.

I coughed. "Only something that most people would misunderstand." I patted Junpei's shoulders. "But I know that you'd understand." I made Junpei lean closer as I whispered some words in his ear.

"Ohh… I get it now." Junpei said, shaking his head.

"Don't be noisy, okay?" I winked at him. "I have trust in you."

"Yeah. Don't worry, man. I got your back! Kirijo-senpai will never know!" Junpei said. Then he ran out of the room.

I turned around to see a confused Yukari. "Kirijo-senpai? What did you tell him?"

I chuckled. "I told him that when I arrived last night, I saw you knock over a cup and it broke. I told him that you told me that it was Mitsuru-senpai's favorite and most expensive teacup and that you don't want her to know that you broke it."

Yukari laughed. "Only Stupei would believe something like that. Oh, I have to do some things for Archery club. Did I mention that I was a member? So see ya."

I left the room after that. I ran into Stupei- I mean, Junpei on my way out of the school. "You're already making an impression, man. And it's only your first day."

"What kind of impression?" I asked.

"Oh, you know what I mean. Believe it or not, Yuka-tan is pretty popular. You da man!" Junpei beamed. "It's gonna be a fun year. I can feel it!"

I smiled at his enthusiasm. "Yeah? You think so?"

"Of course, man! Hey, look at the jocks." He said, gesturing to the jocks. "Are you planning on joining a club?"

"Depends." I put my hands in my pockets "You?"

"Nah. It's not my kind of thing." He said.

"I gotta go." I said, looking at my watch. "Got some things to do."

Once I left Junpei, I headed straight to the dorm.

_Iwatodai Dorm, Evening_

Once I entered the dorm, I was greeted by Mitsuru-senpai. She was reading a hardbound novel with a teacup in her hand.

"Welcome back." She said, looking up from her novel. "How was your day?"

"It was fine." I replied.

"That's good." Senpai said. "You really shouldn't be outside on your own at night. It's too dangerous."

"I see. I'll keep that in mind senpai."

"You must be tired, Arisato." Mitsuru said, turning her attention to her book again. "Get a good rest tonight."

Oblivious to their plans, I headed straight to my room.

_Minato's Room_

_Okay, time to unpack._ One by one I laid out the contents of the first box. Casual clothes, a few soap bars and shampoo. Once I systematically put them in their proper places, I tackled the contents of the second box. I had a total of three boxes shipped to the dorm. The second box's contents were school uniforms, two sets of formal clothing just in case, and other things.

The third box's contents were the ones that I valued the most. In it were some pictures of the Arisato family, one of the few where we were complete, and the very sword that my grandfather said my father gave me. The sword had a blade of gleaming silver and its hilt was intricately carved with various designs. I felt tempted to practice some moves but given the space of the room and the length of my sword, Demon's Bane, I decided against it.

Instead, I hung the blade with its sheath on the wall opposite the desk. I sat on the bed. _That reminds me… the night before, Yukari-san and Mitsuru-senpai wore a red armband __and__ if memory serves right, it said 'SEES'. It must be an acronym. Wonder what it means? _

_Dormitory Lounge - Mitsuru's POV_

Soon after Arisato went upstairs, I heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"I'm going out for a bit."

I diverted my attention from my book to the standing figure of Akihiko Sanada before me. "Hm? And why would you go out at this time of night?"

"Can't you see the newspaper headlines?" Akihiko asked, getting his jacket. "It's getting worse, Mitsuru."

"I know." I sipped some tea. "People who had no problems before are suddenly developing acute cases of Apathy Syndrome…"

"Yeah. We see it more often in the news now." Akihiko said. "They're saying it's due to stress, but… as if. We both know that it has to be their work. It's not worth my time, otherwise."

I sighed at his recklessness. "You have a one-track mind, Akihiko. Will you be okay on your own?"

Akihiko laughed. "I'll be fine. I'm just gonna get some practice." And before I could say more, Akihiko left the dorm. When will he stop thinking that this is a game?

_April 8, 2009, Evening_

WEDNESDAY

Not much happened at school this morning. Other than researching a bit about the school club called "SEES", hearing a few rumors, answering some questions and getting used to school, nothing out of the ordinary. There were some particularly interesting rumors circulating around the school.

The rumor about Apathy Syndrome was one of them. I heard that Apathy Syndrome is some sort of sickness that does not target one type of person. People who are inflicted with this sickness will suddenly appear and act like zombies. There is no clue whatsoever about its cause. There are certainly weird things going on in this city…

When I entered the dorm, I saw two people by the couches to my right. Yukari was talking with an unfamiliar gentleman wearing a sophisticated looking tan suit. The man had his back to the door so it was Yukari who saw me first.

"Oh, he's back." She said. Then the man turned around to look at me and said "So, this is our new guest…"

I walked closer to the two and greeted them both. "Good Evening to you as well." The man said. "My name is Shuji Ikutsuki. I'm the Chairman of the Board for Gekkoukan High, your school."

_So __this__ is the Chairman of the Board. When I looked up on SEES a while ago, I found out that he's the advisor of the school club. But what kind of club has a name like "Specialized __Extracurricular Execution Squad"? It sounds like the name for a special SWAT group. And I doubt that they can 'execute' anybody with just 3 members. Namely, Mitsuru-senpai as the __leader and Yukari-san and another senior named Akihiko Sanada. But then again, Mitsuru-__senpai is a Kirijo. Her father's is the CEO of the Kirijo group so I guess she has some power along with that…_

_But what bothers me is that the 3 members of the group are also the other residents of this dorm. And now their advisor is visiting. I'm the only one here who's not part of SEES. Well, I guess this is what Yukari meant when she asked if it was okay for me to be here._

"Ikutsuki… Hard to say isn't it?" The Chairman said, bringing me out of my thoughts. "That's why I don't like introducing myself. I get tongue-tied sometimes, you see."

_What's so hard to say about Ikutsuki?_ _Does he have speech problems? "_I understand." I lied. Shuji Ikutsuki nodded. "I apologize about the confusion regarding your accommodations."

_Ah, so that's why he wanted to talk to me. They want me out of the dorm, so I won't interfere with their 'executing' things…_

"I understand." I said. "These things happen sometimes…"

"It may take a while before you receive the proper room assignment." He said. "Is there anything you'd like to ask?"

"Huh? I thought I was going to be transferred to another dorm…" I said.

"What's the matter?" The Chairman chuckled. "Are the accommodations here not to your liking?"

"No, uh it's not that." I said. Not wanting them to know that I'd been researching about them, I asked a question. "Why are you here?"

"To welcome you, of course." He said.

"Oh, thanks." I asked another question just to be sure. "Who else lives here?"

"There are only 4 students in this dorm. You, Yukari here, Mitsuru and a senior named Akihiko Sanada. I hope you'll all have a successful school year." He answered. "Now if you'll excuse me…." Ikutsuki stood up and brushed his clothes. "You must be tired from all the excitement lately. Go to bed early tonight. As they say, 'The early bird catches the bookworm!'"

_Uh, okay? Am I supposed to laugh?_

"You'll get used to his lame jokes." Yukari whispered.

I excused myself and went to my room.

_Minato's Room_

_Hmmm… There are only 4 students in this dorm, the man said. Come to think of it, This dorm is bigger than most dorms. I don't have a roommate and I have a TV in my room. Hmph. Grandpa must have looked for a big dorm like this one, though I would have been satisfied by a normal boy's dorm. "This is a good enough dorm for you." He would have said. _

I sighed and looked at the pictures by the lampshade. I fell asleep still wearing my school uniform and thinking about our home in Tokyo.

_?, Late Evening_

_Yukari's POV_

Soon after Minato-kun fell asleep, Mitsuru-senpai, Ikutsuki and I gathered at the command room on the 4th floor. We were watching Minato sleep on an enlarged HD feed on the computer in the command room.

"Working hard?" The Chairman asked. "How's he doing?"

"He asleep. He went to bed a while ago." Senpai answered. "Do you think he's…"

"Let's wait and see." Ikutsuki said. "The Dark Hour is approaching."

"Do we really have to do this?" I asked, uneasy. "Do we really have to spy on the guy?"

"We have to make sure he can take care of himself." Ikutsuki reassured me. "Don't think of it as spying. Just think of it as… collecting information, protecting him."

_Yeah right. If he was a frog, you'd be dissecting him right now._

"How are we protecting him by spying?" I asked.

Minato-kun turned in his sleep as the clock of the monitor ticked the final seconds before the Dark Hour.

_Dark Hour_

The lights of the room turned off and I could see the moon's weird glow through the windows. Only the monitor remained unchanged. I asked Mitsuru about it once, why did it remain on even with the Dark Hour. The only thing she said was, "It's special."

Minato-kun remained sleeping. "Hmm… He's still sleeping." The Chairman observed. "As the two of you said, he didn't transmogrify into a coffin. As you can remember, an ordinary person Transmogrifies during the Dark Hour, and is oblivious to what is happening around."

"Then he must be…" I said.

"As you can see, he's not inside a coffin." Mitsuru-senpai said. "He's asleep, but he's definitely experiencing the Dark Hour."

"The only question is… Does he have the potential?" Ikutsuki said. "In any case, we should continue to monitor him for a few more days."

"Just how are we protecting him by spying?" I asked again.

Senpai punched a few buttons on the computer. "We have to be sure that he has the potential. Enough of it to combat the night's dangers."

"Just imagine it, Yukari." The Chairman said, wiping his glasses. "Being able to experience the Dark Hour, without having the ability to defend yourself. Scary isn't it?" Ikutsuki laughed. "Why do you think I always stay indoors?"

_Still…I can't believe were treating him like a Guinea pig…_

_Meanwhile…_

_Minato's POV_

I knew I was asleep but I can swear I heard a voice…

"Master Minato…"

I blinked as a white flash appeared before my eyes. Next thing I knew, I was seated in a seat. I was in what seemed to be an extremely large elevator. _Wait a sec… Elevator?! Wasn't I in bed?_

"Welcome to the Velvet Room." A mysterious old gentleman said. He was wearing a tuxedo and gloves. He was small and had a long nose on his rather small face. "My name is Igor. I am delighted to make your acquaintance."

"Er… Where- where am I?" I asked feebly.

"The Velvet Room exists between dream and reality, mind and matter… Only the contract signers can see and enter." Igor showed me the contract I signed when I entered the dorm, the one given to me by ghost boy. "You have a unique ability. And you are destined to hone it with my help. I only ask one thing from you. That you and only you are responsible for the actions and choices you make."

"This is Elizabeth. She is a resident here, like me." Igor said. Gesturing to a woman with short white hair, and she seemed to be dressed in a flight attendant's blue uniform. "Pleased to meet you, Minato." Elizabeth said.

_What?_ "I-I don't understand… How do you know my name?"

"That is fine." Igor said. "For now." Then a blue hued key with golden designs floated to my hand. "Hold on to that… Until we meet again."

"Wait, hey! What do you mean?" I yelled but everything faded away.


	4. Chapter 3: Power of Persona

_**Chapter Three: Power of Persona**_

_April 9, 2009, Early Morning_

_Gekkoukan High – Yukari's POV_

THURSDAY

I decided to take my time coming to school today, since Arisato-kun doesn't need me to come with him to school anymore. He looks pretty streetwise so I'm not too surprised that he explored a bit the day before. I know that no one really takes the rumor grapevine in Gekkoukan seriously, but since Arisato-kun is a transfer student, he may not be used to rumors like I am. I mean come on, it's the guy's first day of school and there are already rumors about him. We agreed to avoid coming to school together. I don't really mind the rumors because I know that they'll fade soon enough but he might. Besides, he's pretty attractive so I won't be surprised if he has a girlfriend back in Tokyo.

Besides, I can't help but feel awkward around him. The knowledge that we're spying on him at night makes me feel guilty, no matter how the Chairman says it. So I feel quite relieved that I don't have to escort him to school anymore.

_April 9, 2009, Early Morning_

_Gekkoukan High – Minato's POV_

I decided against going with Yukari-san again this morning. Yukari-san asked me once if I wanted her to come with me just in case I needed some more time to get used to my new surroundings. But since I explored a bit the day before, I knew the way pretty well. Besides, I still had a weird feeling about the dream last night. I decided to forget about it and head to school.

I entered the school grounds with my duffel bag on my shoulder. "Hey." Junpei said. Apparently, he'd been waiting at the school gates for me. He was wearing pretty much the same thing he wore a few days ago. The only difference was the color of his dress shirt, not even his mega-watt grin faded. "This looks like a perfect day, right, Minato-kun?"

We started walking to our classroom. "Hello to you too, Junpei-kun. You seem pretty happy today. Did you take energy drinks for breakfast? Did something happen?"

Junpei stepped back with mock surprise on his face. "Are you spying on me, man?" Then he laughed. "The day's just perfect that's all. Were happy guys aren't we? In the prime of life and happy?"

"Really?" I asked with sarcasm in my voice.

"Nuh-uh. You aint' gonna get any facts from Junpei the magnanimous!" He said, once we reached the classroom.

Junpei's smile was very contagious. "Do you even know what magnanimous means?" I asked him.

"'Course dude. In the dictionary, the definition says, JUNPEI IORI."

_Haha. He's certainly energetic today._

I dropped the pen I took from my bag. I bent down to pick it up and when I did, something fell from my pocket. I turned around to check the object and I was surprised at what I saw. The shining blue-hued key from my dream. The Velvet Key.

I looked around if anyone else saw the expensive-looking key with its expensive-looking gold engravings. But no one even paid attention to it. Before someone noticed me, I picked the key up and sat back on my chair.

"What are you doing, Minato-kun?" Junpei asked me. "You picked your pen up already, so why are you staring at your hand?"

_Staring at my hand? Can't he see the freakin' key?_

"Didn't you see it?" I asked him, putting the key in my pocket.

"The pen?" Junpei asked, looking at me weirdly. "Uh, it looks good?"

_The pen? What does he mean? Can't they see the key? Makes sense, I guess. They didn't see it when it fell. Or maybe I'm just going mad._

"Never mind." I told Junpei as Yukari came in.

Junpei looked from me to Yukari. "You guys live in the same dorm. But you came to school separately?"

"What about it?" Yukari asked, glaring spears at Junpei.

"Ah, whatever." Junpei said. "Whatever floats your boat, right?" He turned to me. But I was still thinking about the key and my dream.

_Evening_

_Minato's Room_

Once I took a bath and changed into casual clothes, I sat on my desk and tried to go online. Just my luck when I found out that the internet was still down, so I turned the computer off and looked outside through the window near the desk, it was dark outside. I had a bad feeling about this night. I can tell. Something's coming.

Out of impulse, I took the school uniform I used earlier and changed into it. For some strange reason, I feel comfortable sleeping in uniform. I took a deep breath and lied down on my bed with my hands folded behind my head. _I wonder if I'll have that dream again…_

_Dark Hour_

_Yukari's POV_

"How is he doing?" Ikutsuki asked.

"Same as last night." Mitsuru-senpai replied. "No change whatsoever."

"Hmm. This is certainly unusual…" The Chairman sat on a nearby couch. "Even those who have the potential tend to be unstable at first."

Senpai nodded. "As was the case with Akihiko and Takeba. They experience memory loss, disorientation, generally unstable during the first few nights…"

"How about you senpai?" I asked, wondering if she had any experiences like that.

"I was the same." She replied, looking away. "Arisato is definitely breaking the pattern."

"Come to think of it, he just waltzed inside during the night he arrived, right?" I said. "And from my observations, he remembered it pretty well."

"This is certainly most unusual…" Ikutsuki murmured. "I'm getting curious as to how this will turn out…"

That made me feel even more uncomfortable. "… Why do we have to treat him like an experiment?" I shifted uncomfortably.

The Chairman's eyes remained glued to the screen. "Only for a few more nights, Yukari. I know that this makes you feel uncomfortable, but it is of the highest priority to recruit more members. It's getting harder and harder to combat the increasing mass of shadows and the danger they pose to the rest of the city. Besides," Ikutsuki looked at me with a smile. "Wouldn't it be easier to work with someone with the same year as you?"

"I- I suppose." I said.

_I didn't really think of it that way. We haven't really had much chance to talk have we? The way he looked while we were in the monorail on his first trip to Gekkoukan, his eyes hardened and he looked intimidating and sad at the same time…_

_I can tell that he doesn't trust us yet. I hope he loosens up soon._

My thoughts were interrupted by a chime coming from the monitor. Mitsuru-senpai frowned and pushed a key. "Command Room. Akihiko I pres-"

"Yeah, yeah. Listen we don't have time for that." Akihiko sounded out of breath. "Drat, this thing is huge!"

The Chairman and I exchanged alarmed looks and Mitsuru frowned. "Akihiko." She said to the microphone. "What's going on?"

Akihiko panted. "I'm almost there. A big shadow's chasing me. Shoot! That was close…" He remained silent for a moment. "You better get ready! This thing is huge!"

"Wait, does that mean he's bringing that here?!" I panicked, the color fading from my face.

Mitsuru spun around to face me and the chairman. "We'll postpone the observation for now." She said her face tight. "Chairman, stay here."

"O-okay." He said.

Senpai turned to me. "Yukari, come with me."

I nodded and hands shaking, grabbed my gear from the table then I followed Mitsuru out the hall.

By the time the two of us reached the lounge, Akihiko had just closed the door behind him. He slumped to the ground, leaning against the door.

"Akihiko!" Mitsuru-senpai exclaimed. "What happened?!" She hurried to his side.

The boxer was holding his ribs, breathing hard. "Senpai, you're hurt!" I said, seeing the blood starting to stain his shirt.

He waved his other hand and shook his head. "I'm okay." He said, biting his lip. "We have one big customer coming up. And he's hungry."

"This isn't the time to joke, Akihiko!" Mitsuru snapped. "What the heck is going on?!"

Straining to stand, Akihiko-senpai took hold of Mitsuru's hand. "One of them. This one is big. Much bigger and stronger than the others."

As if on cue, a loud thump, like something banging on the wall almost made me jump. Mitsuru-senpai was also startled but she just took her evoker out of its holster and turned to me. "Yukari, take Arisato and head out the back!"

I was relieved that I didn't have to fight that thing, but I was also concerned for my senpais. "W-what about you?"

"We'll do our best to stop it." Mitsuru senpai said. Akihiko, you led it here so you'll have to help me."

"Like I had a choice!" The boxer argued. "What are you waiting for Yukari, go!"

I nodded and ran the flight of stairs heading to the second floor.

_Minato's Room_

_Minato's POV_

I was shook awake by a loud thump coming from some side of the building. _What the heck was that? _I shook my head to chase away any remaining sleepiness. I sat up straight and put my shoes on.

I was even more startled when someone banged my door. Out of impulse, I headed straight for my sword with its sheath on.

"Minato-kun? It's me Yukari!" Her voice was high-pitched and she was breathing hard, as if she was being chased. I decided to let her in, but I held the sword with my right hand. I wasn't taking any chances.

"What's going on?" I asked my voice reasonably calm despite my frazzled nerves.

Yukari wore the gun she pointed at me some 2 days ago on a strap by her legs, ignoring the sword in my right hand. "Good, you're armed. We have to go now! No time to explain." Without waiting for a reply, she grabbed my left hand and ran down the stairs, dragging me with her.

I had no idea what was going on. But judging from Yukari-san's reaction, she knew a lot of what's happening. And if she wanted me to hurry, well, I wasn't one to argue._ Though, I'm not sure I approve of running downstairs at this speed…_

"We have to get through the back door." Yukari panted. "Our senpais are holding it off but we have to hurry."

"Holding what off?" I asked, once we reached the first floor. I was breathing evenly, in contrast to Yukari's heavy breathing.

"No time to explain." She said. "Come on!" We rounded the corner, heading to the door. "They should have contained it out front. We don't have long to wait before-"

She was interrupted by beeping coming from the headset I now noticed she was wearing. "_Takeba!_" Mitsuru's voice said. "_Do you read me?_"

"Yeah. Loud and clear, senpai!" Yukari said.

_A headset? Where- Never mind._

"_Be careful! The one were dealing with isn't the one Akihiko saw_."

"W-what?" Yukari's face lost some of the color it had regained.

I gripped my sword tighter and fell to a half crouch when we heard loud crashes coming from the other side of the dorm from the door we were just about to go through. I looked to Yukari and saw that she was now pale with fright.

"Something tells me you don't do this too often." I said. Yukari gave no hint that she heard. "I think we should go upstairs."

She nodded, still staring at the door. "Come on." I said, grabbing her hand and rushed to the rooftop.

_Rooftop_

I pushed the door open as we rushed through and Yukari slammed it shut behind us. We paused for a moment, taking deep breaths. "We should be safe here." Yukari said, once she regained her breath. I straightened and looked around. No evidence of unfriendly elements anywhere. "Okay, can you tell me what's going on now?" I asked Yukari.

"Oh yeah. Sorry, but the full explanation will have to wait." Yukari said. "But the thing that's chasing us right now is-"

She was interrupted by another loud crash.

"Oh no." Yukari's eyes widened. "No, no, no, no, no."

I spun around and faced the edge of the roof. Another loud crash. And another. And another. Slowly, the two of us stepped back as a thin, jet-black hand came into view. The hand was holding a blue mask. It shifted the mask from side to side until it faced me and Yukari, much like a hawk searching for prey. Soon, more hands grabbed the side of the roof. Some holding, very sharp-looking knives. As the black creature climbed up, all I could see were hands glued together at its center. It seemed to be made of hands, with the mask serving as its eyes.

Yukari gasped and I stood frozen in place, thoughts racing. Yukari pulled her gun out of its holster. Thinking that she was going to shoot the monster, I took the sword out of its sheath. I walked a few steps forward, breathing heavily, intending to provide cover for Yukari. I hoisted the silver blade diagonally, its length guarding me, just in case the monster attacked.

I looked back, waiting for Yukari's signal. So I was surprised when she put the gun barrel to her forehead. Probably thinking that death by gun was better than death by creature from the abyss. "Wait! What are you doing?!" I shouted. Lowering my sword to pry the gun from Yukari's hands, the monster saw the opening it was waiting for. It batted me aside with one swipe of one of its hands. Luckily, my sword took most of the damage, but I landed on my left side and sustained a gash on the right.

"Ugh." I pulled myself up to a sitting position. The monster was now only a few feet from where Yukari stood. "Yukari!"

_Command Room_

_Akihiko's POV_

Once Mitsuru and I crushed the weakling Maya types downstairs, we ran to the command room. Hoping to find the juniors and the giant Shadow through the many cameras around the dorm. To our dismay we saw the two things we were looking for together on the roof. Yukari had her evoker pressed against her forehead. And Minato lay down a few feet away from Yukari. He had a wound, judging by the way he was holding his sword.

I took advantage of the few moments we had to rest. "Akihiko." Mitsuru said, seeing the scene on the rooftop. "Let's go!"

"Wait!" Ikutsuki said.

"Wait?" I said. "What do you mean? They're gonna die if we don't get there soon!"

Ikutsuki didn't answer me. Instead, he turned back to watch the rooftop. I flinched as I heard Yukari scream. Apparently, she wasn't able to summon her persona so the shadow attacked her with a fire attack. Yukari fell to her knees.

"I'm not going to stay here and watch this!" I yelled. I opened the door and ran to the hall not caring if Mitsuru followed or not.

_Rooftop_

_Minato's POV_

"Yukari!" I yelled.

She opened her eyes and looked at me. Her eyes were filled with panic. "I don't want it to end like this." I heard her murmur.

"Don't do it!" I yelled. I tried to stand up, gritting my teeth. I used my sword to brace myself. The monster had no eyes for me. The mask was watching only her. Suddenly, it spread its hands wide and a fireball came out of nowhere and rushed towards Yukari.

I tried to run to her but I was too late. She fell to her knees and the pistol glided and fell at my feet. I picked it up intending to shoot the creature, since my sword was battered. But once I held it, I saw ghost boy mimicking Yukari. "Go on." He urged.

Instead of the panic I should have felt. I felt eerily calm as the monstrosity came closer. I closed my eyes as I heard my heart beating. Slow but strong. I took a deep breath as I put the pistol to the side of my head. _What in the world am I doing?_ The sensible part of me thought. But my body wasn't listening. Another deep breath. I opened my eyes.

"_Per…so…na_."

And pulled the trigger.

Blue shards exploded out of the side of my head. More shards came out as an unseen wind blew my jacket around me. I was hardly aware of Yukari coming to her senses. The shards coalesced to form an apparition behind me. "**Thou art I**" It said, with a voice similar to mine.

"**And I am thou**. **From the sea of thy soul I come forth.**" It was inhumanly proportioned, some of its limbs were made of mechanical parts. And instead of a mouth, it had a speaker at the middle of its silver-blue body. It also had a huge white harp at its back. "**I am Orpheus. The master of strings.**" It said in a voice like mine.

I felt so full of power. I felt like I could do anything. Suddenly, I shivered involuntarily. I doubled over, I felt like my head was exploding. "Aaaaaargh!" I cried out, Orpheus howling in concert with me.

_Rooftop_

_Akihiko's POV_

I rushed through the door as I heard Minato scream. He was doubled over, clutching his head. There was something behind him, his newly summoned Persona, I assume. The Persona was howling along with its master, a terrible sound of agony.

I rushed over to where Yukari sat and helped her up. Yukari and I drew back as Minato screamed.

"What the?"

Something else was clawing its way out of his Persona. That something tore free of the previous Persona's remains. Casting aside the tattered remnants of the first Persona, it bared itself to the moonlight. It was skeletal in form, with a long black cloak around it. But its most noticeable features were: the metal beak-like head, the coffin-like wings (wing-like coffins?) chained together on its back, and its massive sword.

It launched itself upon the Shadow. The silver samurai sword in one hand, it brutally sliced the Shadow up into tiny pieces. Almost as soon as it attacked, the encounter was over. The Reaper-like creature took one of the hands it sliced and crushed it with one hand. The Reaper-like creature roared, daring anything to come near it.

Grunting, sweat dripping from his face, Minato stood up. I was so caught up in watching the destruction of the shadow that I didn't notice that he'd stopped screaming. The creature turned to Minato. Then, it turned to us.

_Minato's POV_

_**Stupid thing. Thinking it could threaten me and get away with it. Who dares to stand up to me? WHO DARES!?**_

"Rgh." I was so full of rage. I wanted to destroy. Destroy. My head was pounding but I didn't care. _**That thing with the hands was nothing. Compared to me, that was as insignificant as an ant.**_ "Argh." _**What is this? More who defy me? **_Yukari? And someone else… must be the senior that Chairman mentioned.

My feet swayed beneath me. _**Do they dare defy me? **_Why am I thinking like this? _That. That thing, Thanatos, is thinking these thoughts… why am I feeling them? Why am I hearing them?_ "_**They will PAY!" **_Thanatos roared.

"NO!" I yelled. "Stop." I said my vision blurring.

_Akihiko's POV_

The Reaper-like creature roared.

"No!" Minato yelled, getting in its path. "Stop." He clutched his head, his breath becoming ragged. "Stop…"

The creature roared again and flew straight to us, skirting around Minato. I stepped back and put my evoker to my head. "Polydeuces!"

My persona, Polydeuces stood in the creature's way. I pushed my palm out, aiming a Zio towards the creature. It slashed its sword through the spell and charged straight through my Persona. Polydeuces stood no chance against it. I clutched my abdomen as I felt the pain and doubled over.

"Senpai!" Yukari yelled.

The door burst open as Mitsuru barged in. "Penthesilea!" She yelled. Mitsuru sent her Persona to me and Yukari. Penthesilea grabbed us and took us inside the dorm.

"Be careful." I told Mitsuru. "It's very strong, Polydeuces stood no chance."

"Where's Arisato?" She asked.

"Still outside." Yukari answered.

The creature stood in the middle of the roof, waiting. Penthesilea summoned some ice and sent to the creature. The creature flew and avoided the attack. It roared and raised its sword.

"Thanatos!" Minato yelled. The reaper-like creature stopped and looked at Minato.

Minato grunted and pushed his palm out. The creature roared at the junior. Minato panted as the Reaper-like creature glowed and roared. It glowed with a soft blue light, unseen wind billowed its cloak. Soon, a soft blue card floated in place of the creature. The card broke into tiny pieces and faded. Penthesilea rushed forward to grab Minato as the junior's knees buckled.

Yukari and I rushed out and walked to the middle of the roof.

"What the heck… was… that?" Asked the exhausted Minato.

"You can rest easy for now, Minato." Mitsuru said, her voice unusually soft. "Don't worry, everything will be alright."

Author's Note: Uh, not much change in this revised version. I tried to make the scenes easier to understand here and fixed a few grammatical errors. If anybody finds any errors of any kind somewhere, please review! :D


	5. Chapter 4: S E E S

_**Chapter Four: Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad**_

_April 10, 2009, After School_

_Tatsumi Memorial Hospital – Yukari's POV_

FRIDAY

There were certain privileges in having a hospital nearby supported by the Kirijo Group. Especially if you're part of a group backed by the same company, and the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad was one such group. The hospital knew all about SEES and our late night excursions.

"That must've been one heck of a shadow, huh?" The head doctor asked. "To be able to hurt you guys so badly."

Mitsuru, Akihiko-senpai and I sat on chairs near Minato's hospital bed. The doctor had been saying that there wasn't anything physically wrong with him except the gash on his side.

Mitsuru-senpai nodded. "Is he going to be okay?"

"He's fine. Though, he has to stay here a bit longer." The doctor replied. "Last night took a lot out of him."

"How about Akihiko?" Mitsuru-senpai asked.

"He needs to rest more. Don't go overexerting yourself, Akihiko." The doctor said, tuning to Akihiko-senpai. "No boxing for you for now."

Someone knocked at the door. "I have to get going. I'll see you later." Said the doctor. Once the doctor left, Akihiko-senpai asked a question none of could answer. "What was that last night?"

"The shadow?" I asked. "Or the thing that came out of Orpheus?"

"Orpheus?" Mitsuru-senpai asked.

"Oh, it's the name of Minato-kun's persona." I said. "I heard it when he summoned on the rooftop."

"About the creature, it clawed its way out of Orpheus, you say?" Mitsuru-senpai asked.

Akihiko-senpai nodded. "It diced the shadow up like it was nothing." He shook his head. "And about the shadow, I never saw anything like that before…"

Mitsuru-senpai sighed. "I sensed a great amount of power from the creature as well. In the very least, Arisato proved to us that he could summon a persona without any difficulty."

_Unlike me… _I looked at Minato._ He saved us yesterday. Twice. Once he wakes up, I'm gonna tell him what he wants to know._

"At least we don't have to spy on him anymore." I said, relieved.

"That's right." Mitsuru-senpai chuckled. "In any case, we should make coming here a priority in the upcoming days."

_Velvet Room – Minato's POV_

Somehow, it didn't surprise me that I found myself in the room full of blue again. I was ready to believe anything after last night. Abominations climbing buildings like King Kong, shooting yourself in the head and instead of dying, another creature appears who sounds just like you. But that's not all, inside the creature that sounds like you, lies an evil dinosaur beak samurai, ready to kill anything in its path. Did I miss anything? Oh yeah, ghost boy appearing out of nowhere and telling me to shoot myself.

I was seated in the same position I was in that dream… was it even a dream? In front of me was the old man called Igor, seated behind a table.

"It's so nice to see you again." He said.

I stared at him. "Sure. Brilliant. Oh well, At least I'm not dead." I straightened. "Am I?"

"You most certainly are not, dear Minato." The girl in the flight attendant suit said. What was her name? Elizabeth? "You just lost your consciousness after summoning your Persona for the first time, your 'special power'."

"I see it was Orpheus that heeded your calling." Igor said.

Orpheus… I see. That Greek musician who went to the underworld to get Eurydice, his wife. And almost succeeded, but he didn't trust Hades to keep his word so he failed.

"That power is called a Persona." Igor said. "It is a manifestation of your psyche."

"Psyche?"

"A Persona is a facet of your personality that surfaces as you react to external stimuli…" Igor said. "You think of it as a mask that protects you as you brave many hardships."

"Hardships. I don't think I like the sound of that…" I said.

"Scared of a little hard work?" Elizabeth chuckled. "When you use your Persona ability, you must channel your inner strength. Hardships can serve to strengthen your inner resolve."

"What do you mean?" I asked, getting confused.

"The ability evolves as you develop your Social Links, your emotional ties with others." Igor said. "The stronger your Social Links, the more powerful your Persona ability. Please remember that."

"Wait. What about the other one?" I asked.

"Other one?"

"Yeah, the one with the sword and the beak-like head. The one who wanted to destroy everything, Thanatos." I said.

They were silent for a moment. Probably a moment of shock, did I say something I shouldn't have? "Thanatos. I'm sorry but there is no time to answer your questions about that. Time marches on in your world." Igor said. "I shouldn't keep you here any longer. Next time we meet, you will come here on your own volition. Until then…"

The blue glare of the Velvet Room softened as everything faded away.

_April 17, 2009, After School_

_Tatsumi Memorial Hospital_

FRIDAY

I twitched a little as soft sunlight shined on my closed eyelids. A dull headache from the base of my skull made me want to go to sleep again. Deciding against it, I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. Someone was sitting near my bed, near my arm. Aware of my stirring, that someone -who turned out to be Yukari- looked at me with worried eyes.

"You're awake!" She finally said, after a little while. "How do you feel?"

"Thirsty." I croaked my mouth dry. As I slowly sat up, Yukari gave me a glass of water and waited until I finished drinking. "Where am I?" I asked, looking around.

She chuckled. "Typical hospital line."

The smile faded from my face. "Hospital, what do you mean?"

"You're in Tatsumi Memorial Hospital. It's just a short walk from the station." Yukari answered. "I thought you were never going to wake up. We visited you every time after school, Junpei wanted to come see you but we discouraged him, and good thing we did."

'_we' she said. Which means she, along with some others watched me sleep. They better have had a good reason… I don't like people watching me when I sleep._

"Every time?" I looked at her. "How long was I out?"

"A week." She said.

I scratched the back of my head. "I was really asleep for a whole week?" I laughed. "If I were you, I'd probably assume that I was in a coma."

She glared at me. "Do you have any idea how worried you made me?" Yukari looked away, still frowning. "I almost thought you were never gonna wake up…" She remained silent.

"Sorry. I-I guess you're right." I stammered. "I-I'm just not used to people showing concern for me." Yukari remained silent, for a little longer, then she said, looking at me from the corner of her eye. "Um… I'm sorry I couldn't do anything."

I waited, wondering what she meant. "I was supposed to be the one protecting you but-" She said, shifting in her seat.

"Don't worry about it, Yukari-san." I interrupted. "I probably ended up doing more harm anyway."

"But your power…" Yukari said. "It was amazing."

"Yeah?" I scratched the back of my neck, smiling sheepishly. "Speaking of which, what _were_ those things?"

"You mean the Shadows?" She asked. "They are what we're fighting against." Yukari-san answered. "And the power you used… We call it 'Persona'."

"I see." I said. _Persona huh? Igor's told me lot regarding that…_

"I'm sure you're pretty confused. We'll explain everything later, Arisato-kun." Yukari-san promised.

I nodded and admired the view of the water from the window. There was a moment of silence afterwards. When I looked at Yukari at the corner of my eye, she looked uncomfortable. Her eyes were darting left to right, as if she was thinking about a decision she didn't want to make. "Oh yeah, we brought this here for you, Minato-kun." Yukari said, getting something underneath the bed. She looked as if she found a way to put off talking about the decision. "It's your sword." She said, giving me my sword with its sheath on.

I took the sword and pulled it from its sheath. I carefully examined the blade, wondering where the smudges went. It was clean, except for a crack near the handle probably from the encounter with the big Shadow.

"Mitsuru-senpai cleaned it for you. She knows a lot about fencing and swords." Yukari-san said. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before…" She shifted uncomfortably on her seat. "I, uh… I wanted to tell you that… I'm sorta like you."

"I beg your pardon?" I asked, wondering what her point was.

"My dad died in an accident when I was little…" She said, looking down. "And my mom and I aren't exactly on good terms… You're all alone too, right?"

"I have my grandfather, two annoying sisters... but..." I trailed off.

Yukari nodded. "To be honest, I already know about your past…" She looked away. "But, it didn't seem fair, so I wanted you to know about mine…"

I looked at her, waiting for any hint that she was lying. But after a while, she seemed sincere. "I don't really remember much about the accident." I said, looking outside the window. "It was 10 years ago after all…"

"Weird as it is, my dad was caught up in some explosion the same night…" Yukari said, smirking despite the topic. "He was working in a lab run by the Kirijo Group. So, I'm hoping that if I stick around long enough, I'll find out something."

After a moment, she said. "And here I am telling you all this the minute you wake up." Yukari-san said. "Sorry, I was just so bothered by keeping so much from you so I thought to myself; I've been hiding so many things from him. As soon as he wakes up, I'll tell him the truth."

"If I wake up." I said, laughing. Yukari laughed along with me. "Thanks, Yukari-san." I said as she stood up. "I know it was hard for you to share that with me. A complete stranger."

With her hand on the door, Yukari thought for a moment. "It wasn't. Once I started talking, I just couldn't stop until I poured it all out." She smiled. "Oh, and Minato-kun, feel free to call me Yukari." She opened the door. "Bye."

I leaned back against my pillow with a sigh.

_Working for the Kirijo Group... Just what kind of things have they been doing? _

_April 18, 2009, After School_

_Gekkoukan High_

SATURDAY

Junpei seemed excited about something this morning. But he didn't tell what it was about despite my nagging. When Yukari arrived, she told me that the Chairman wanted to talk to me at the dorm when I got back. Must be about the Shadows, and all hail the much awaited explanations about the abominations of the night! The bell rang, stopping my train of thought… and of course, signaling our dismissal from school.

I stretched in my seat talking about random things with Yukari. "Hey, man." Junpei said to me. "Why d'ya stay in bed for a week?"

_Bed?_ _What am I supposed to say, that I was attacked by a creature from your worst nightmare? "_Uh…" I said, sending a look of help to Yukari. I decided to stall for time. "I'll tell you if you tell me why you were so excited this morning."

"That's unfair man!" Junpei scowled. "You know I can't say a word about that."

"Well, Minato-kun can't say a word about that either." Yukari said, laughing. "Right, Minato-kun?"

"Hmph." Junpei sulked. After a moment, he turned back to us with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "But I can't help hearing some rumors, of course…"

"Rumors?" Yukari and I asked simultaneously.

"Well…" Junpei looked left and right. "There's this rumor going around, that one certain transfer student, who's name will not be revealed…" He said. "was in a hospital bed for a week."

I stared at him. _Okay… That's supposed to be me._

"That transfer student had a classmate visiting him." He continued. "Now while, it's okay for a fellow student to be concerned… But isn't it excessive to visit every day, after school? Staying there until nightfall?" Junpei asked. I noticed that Yukari was starting to glare at Junpei.

_Until nightfall…_

He chuckled. "But there's more, they were of different genders, the transfer a boy and the classmate a girl. And when the transfer first came to school, the girl…" He coughed for a dramatic effect. "The girl was walking with the transfer." Yukari's glare had now increased by three notches. And I bet I had a confused look on my face.

"But I'm not done." Junpei said. "There's one more rumor." Yukari started fingering a page of a book. "That despite their denial…" He looked at Yukari and smiled. "The transfer and the classmate are- OW!" Junpei didn't get to finish because Yukari smacked him with the book she was holding.

"Say one more word, Stupei." She said, spitting out the word 'stupei' "And I'll slam this down your throat."

"Ow." Junpei said, massaging his smacked face. "Why are you so defensive?" He asked, laughing. "I didn't say a name did I?"

I stood, sighing as I saw the time on my wristwatch. "I have to get going." Without waiting for a reply, I exited the room, leaving the two of them arguing with each other.

_Iwatodai Dorm, Evening_

"The fourth floor, right?" I muttered to myself as I closed the double doors of the dorm behind me. Some sort of explanation probably, regarding the events of _that_ night. Not to mention those monsters… what did Yukari-san call them? Shadows?

I decided to go to my room first to put my bag there then I headed to the 4th floor of the dorm. All of them were already there. The seniors, Mitsuru Kirijo and Akihiko Sanada along with Yukari, but I was surprised to see Mr. Ikutsuki.

"Ah, here he is." The Chairman greeted with a friendly smile. "You had us worried Minato-kun, after such a long stay in the hospital." He gestured to the seat he previously occupied. "Come on, sit down."

I complied. "So, what is this about?"

"Straight to the point aren't ya?" The boxer said with a smile.

"This is Akihiko Sanada." Ikutsuki said. "I must have mentioned him when we met." He continued. "Minato, would you believe me if I said that we have more than 24 hours in one day?"

"Yes." I said with a straight face. The Chairman probably wasn't expecting it, judging from his reaction.

"Excuse me?"

"Well, it isn't really all that hard to believe." I explained. "I mean, the extra time you mean probably is the time when the moon glows green and most if not all machines shut down."

"That time is what we call the Dark Hour." Mitsuru-senpai stated. "That is what this meeting is about. The time period hidden between days."

"Yes. And effectively at that." Ikutsuki added. "Most people aren't aware of the Dark Hour. Only those who have the potential and a few like myself are able to experience this time period."

_I guess that make sense… but still…_

"You know all that of course." Akihiko-senpai told me. "But it's not that which makes the Dark Hour so interesting. It's _them._" He said 'them' with an ominous tone. "You met them last week. We call those abominations Shadows."

"They only appear during the Dark Hour." Yukari said. "And we're the only ones who can function during the Dark Hour so…"

"It's our job to stop them. Exciting isn't it?" Akihiko interrupted.

"Akihiko!" Mitsuru reprimanded her fellow senior. "Why are you always like that? I keep telling you that this isn't a game."

_She has a point. The definition of 'exciting' between these two seniors are definitely different._

"Now, now." The Chairman said. "He does his job well, Mitsuru. Given the stakes involved."

The redhead sighed. Then she faced the table and picked up a briefcase that was there the entire time. _Why am I not getting good vibes from that thing? Then again, _that briefcase_ is probably the whole point of this meeting…_

"I guess you're not telling me all this just to ease my confused brain." I said, looking at the briefcase.

"Correct." The redhead confirmed, opening the briefcase. Inside was a silver pistol identical to the one Yukari had. "People with the potential are very rare, Arisato. Right now we only have three, surely not enough to fight the shadows offensively. We are asking for you to join us."

_Yukari's POV_

"… offensively. We are asking for you to join us." Mitsuru-senpai was convincing Minato to join the group.

I could sense his hesitation. It's easy to guess why. Who would want to risk their lives fighting monsters from a nightmare? Not only that, but we have school to balance as well. I looked at the transfer student. He was staring at the pistol, but his eyes weren't moving as it would if he were thinking. His eyes were cold and hard.

"We already prepared an Evoker for you. Will-" Mitsuru-senpai stopped talking when Minato looked at her straight in the eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"Is something wrong?" He repeated as his face relaxed. "No. Nothing's wrong." A moment later he said. "Okay, I'll join you."

"Phew." I said, relieved. "I was afraid you'll say no."

"Thank you." Mitsuru-senpai said, smiling. "Oh, about your room assignment…"

"You might as well as stay in your current room." Ikutsuki explained. "It's better if all the members of the group stay in one dorm after all."

Minato however was not fooled. "Right." He smirked. "And you didn't arrange the little 'holdup' the was preventing me from transferring to a normal dorm."

The Chairman opened his mouth but Mitsuru cut him off. "We apologize for the deception. We needed recruits and…"

Minato waved his hand. "It's okay. Besides, it's not as if you have hidden cameras in every nook and cranny of the dorm after all." He said as he stood up and left. Leaving the four of us exchanging looks with one another.

_Minato's Room_

_Minato's POV_

I sat down on the edge of my bed and stared at my hands. "What on earth am I doing? Joining SEES, well... I can't say I don't have any ulterior motives." I muttered to myself.

_The Dark Hour... The moon becomes two times larger, water transforms into blood, machines stop working, And... everything turns green._

_Just like that night. _

My memories of the night the accident happened were very unclear. Most of them came to me in the forms of flashes or terrible nightmares. But of one thing I was sure, the incident didn't happen normally. It wasn't any ordinary car accident.

For one thing, according to the files, there were no witnesses. I knew from the family business that it was impossible for such a thing to happen. The Moonlight bridge was used by many people at any given time. _Except the Dark Hour_.

And another, the fact that there was no other car within 2 miles. Even if you consider that the other car's driver might have escaped with the car, he/she wouldn't have gone far without dropping a few car parts or so. And no human being could have survived that kind of impact unscathed.

Lastly, there was an insane amount of destruction in the area. My family's car was overturned and burning, the floor around the area was burnt, like someone used a grenade. Or something else entirely.

_But this is all just in the files. The police don't know how much information is missing. For ten years, no one has gotten a lead on the case. And my memories definitely can't be trusted because I don't have any... **sigh**..._

_Maybe this is all connected somehow. Maybe I can figure out what happened... _

"Yeah... and maybe I can finally be rid of those horrible nightmares."

**Author's Note:** If you haven't noticed I added a little background info here ^ :D. Just my own version of what happened. And it was kinda odd to me, like why would anyone join SEES without a reason? Despite the whole HERO thing, I mean... in the game, Minato was the only one who didn't have an ulterior motive other than saving people. EVERYBODY else does. Even Koro-chan!

Please review! B)


	6. Chapter 5: Tartarus, the Nest of Shadows

_**Chapter Five: Tartarus, the Nest of Shadows**_

_April 18, 2009, Dark Hour _

_Minato's Room – Minato's POV_

SATURDAY

I was startled awake when I sensed something was amiss. A quick mental check told me that it was the Dark Hour. Not wanting to go through another Shadow attack unarmed, I reached out for my sword as I opened my eyes. What I saw at the foot of my bed was even more unexpected than a Shadow.

"The End will soon come." The ghost boy who greeted me when I first came to the dorm said. "I remembered, so I thought I should tell you."

"W-what?" I asked while rubbing my eyes to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

"The end of everything… But even I'm sure what it is." The boy chuckled. "Oh, you've awakened to your power and it's unusual at that."

_Wha! How did this toddler know that?!_

Then as if he heard or rather _read_ my mind, a flicker of annoyance showed through the boy's features. "It is a power that takes many forms but is bound by none. It may prove to be your salvation you know, depending on where you end up…"

_Which means? Is this kid Igor's son or something? _

"How did you get in here?" I asked, deciding to ignore his eerie warning.

"Do you remember when we first met? I'm expecting you to honor the contract." He said, completely ignoring my question. "I'll be watching over you, Minato. Even if you forget about me…" His voice said as he faded into the darkness.

_I guess that's how he entered. Hmm… I wonder if this dorm is haunted…_

_April 19, 2009, Afternoon_

_Iwatodai Dorm, 1__st__ Floor_

SUNDAY

I have the whole day to myself now, not to mention it's my first Sunday morning that I spent awake. _What to do. What to do… There's no sense in wandering around town aimlessly though. But I don't want to spend the entire day inside… Hmm… how about that Hagakure place? People say they have the best ramen in town,_ _might as well. _

"Hey, Minato." Akihiko-senpai called me. "Planning to spend the day outside?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I was thinking of trying out that Hagakure place."

"Do you mind some company?" The senior asked. "I was getting bored. Besides, I want to know more about you and that sword of yours."

I accepted his company and we went to the strip mall.

_Iwatodai Dorm, Evening_

Akihiko Sanada proved to be more than an adrenaline junkie. He may like action a lot but from what I heard and eating with him this afternoon, he has more on his mind than just fights. He also suggested that I join the Kendo or the Fencing club based on my skill with the sword. Turns out that I'm the only one in our dorm who isn't engaged in a club activity.

Yukari is on the Archery team and she's one of the best archers the school has. Akihiko is the boxing champ and Mitsuru is on the Fencing club and she's also the Student Council president. _I missed a lot sleeping in a hospital bed for a week… How do these guys balance it all? Especially with the SEES thing and all the Shadows to fight…_

"I'd like to introduce someone to you guys." Said the boxer, interrupting my train of thought. Yukari and I exchanged glances, both of us wondering who it could be. Akihiko turned to someone outside. "Hey, hurry it up!"

"Hold your horses, dude. This is freakin' heavy!" A voice from outside said. The high pile of luggage the guy was carrying made it impossible for us to see his face. But both Yukari and I knew the owner of the voice all too well…

"It can't be." Yukari muttered to herself. "It can't be!"

"Maybe it's not who we're thinking it is." I said.

_Yeah, right._

"Wazzup." The owner of the voice said. Yukari and I could only stare at him with horrified faces. The goatee, the baseball cap and the Gekkoukan uniform. It could only be… Junpei Iori.

"What's _he_ doing here?" Yukari blurted, unable to contain her shock.

"I guess introductions are unnecessary. Seeing as the three of you are in the same homeroom after all." Akihiko said.

After checking that the person in front of really was Junpei, I turned to Akihiko. "Does this mean... that he's staying _here?"_

"O c'mon!" Junpei exclaimed. "It's like the two of you don't want to see me."

_We don't._

"As of today, he will be staying with us." The senior confirmed. "I ran into him the other night. He has the potential. It's a good thing I found him before the shadows did."

_Of all the people… why Junpei?_

"You?!" Yukari exclaimed, facing Junpei. "You have the potential?"

"For real?" I asked. We didn't really mean it in a bad way, it was just so unbelievable.

"Hey!" Junpei protested. "If I didn't know better I'd think the two of you really don't want me here."

Akihiko laughed at our reactions. "I already told him about SEES. And he agreed to join us."

"What?!" Yukari exclaimed.

"Oh, well." I sighed. "It's not like we can do anything about it…"

"Ya know senpai found me cryin' like a baby in the convenience store, surrounded by a bunch of coffins. I don't really remember much but man, that's embarrassing." Junpei said while he seated himself in the middle of me and Yukari. "But that's normal right? Senpai said so. Being confused, forgetting things, stuff like that."

"It is, huh?" I said, my voice even. _Come to think of it... why didn't I react to the Dark Hour like everybody did? Not to mention the second persona. Judging from everybody's reactions, things like that are rare._

"But hey, I was surprised to know about you guys." Junpei said. "I had no idea. But I'm glad I ain't the only one. I bet you're stoked to have me join you!"

_Stoked? _

"Right, stupei." Yukari said, sarcastically.

"All right." said the senior, drawing our attention back to him. "I think we're ready."

Yukari and I exchanged glances. Junpei however was oblivious. "Awesome! What're we gonna do?"

"With this many people, we can finally start exploring that place." Akihiko said.

"Oh, you mean Tartarus?" Yukari suggested.

Akihiko frowned at this. He was purposely leaving out the name for suspense. "Yes. Tartarus."

"What's that? Sounds like toothpaste." Junpei said. I didn't know if he was joking or if he really thought that Tartarus was toothpaste.

_Hold on a sec. I'm seeing a pattern here, all the Greek Myth references... Orpheus, Thanatos, and now Tartarus..._

"You'll see for yourself tomorrow night." Akihiko promised. "The chairman will give us more details tomorrow." He said, dismissing the three of us. Then he turned to Junpei. "Oh and Junpei, the third floor is for girls okay? You can have your pick of rooms at the _second _floor, except for mine and Minato's."

"Aw." The newcomer sighed. "So close."

_April 20, 2009, Lunchtime_

_Gekkoukan High_

MONDAY

"Oh, I thought I was gonna fall asleep there." Yukari yawned.

"Yeah, same here." I said, stretching in my seat. "Junpei over there is knocked out, though."

"Can I have a minute?" Mitsuru-senpai said, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, thus surprising Yukari and me. "Come to the lounge when you get back to the dorm. I have something to tell everyone." Without waiting for a reply, she left the classroom.

"Is that it?" I asked.

"She's probably busy with Student Council. Unlike us." Yukari said. _Is there a hint of hostility there? Envy maybe?_

"Hey, Yuka-tan. Do I hear some hostility there?" Junpei said. Apparently awakened by our senpai's arrival.

"No. It's just..." She trailed off. "She's so... you know..." She waved her hands in a circular manner, unable to find the proper word.

_While I agree that senpai isn't the touchy-feely kind of person, it must have had something to do with her upbringing. Born the heir to the Kirijo Group, she must have been calculating the average profit she would make from this and that at the age she should have been playing with dolls. Then now she also has SEES to worry about... When you think of it that way, I guess you can actually pity her. But I guess that's because I can actually relate to what she's going through..._

"Hey! Earth to Minato." Junpei shook my shoulder, interrupting my train of thought. "Thinking deep are we?" He came closer, standing near my chair. "Getting romantic ideas about a certain senpai are we?"

I stared at him, not getting what he meant. "But isn't senpai a little out of your league?" He asked. "Besides, two-timing doesn't sit well with Yuka-tan..."

Yukari glared at him with ferocious intensity. "What was that?" I asked him, glaring at him with a glare that rivaled Yukari's.

Junpei stepped back. "Hey, I was just..."

"Kidding?" I finished for him, with a daring hint to my voice.

"Y-yeah!" He gulped. I stopped glaring at him and saw Yukari's concerned face. She probably thought I was going to hit Junpei. I waited for a moment, then shook my head. I slapped his shoulder and smirked. "You should have seen the look on your face."

"That wasn't nice man!" Junpei sighed. "You looked like you wanted to eat me. I'm used to that kind of treatment from Yukari but not from you, ya know."

"Geez. I thought you we're going to hit him." Yukari told me. "Speaking of eat, I'm hungry."

_Iwatodai Dorm, Evening_

Junpei, Yukari and I sat on the couches in the lounge as Ikutsuki explained to us the fundamentals of the place called Tartarus with the two seniors adding some information at times.

The chairman continued with his explanation -but to me it was more of a speech. "For a long time, Mitsuru and Akihiko were the only Persona-users we had. But, that number recently jumped to five. Therefore, starting tonight, I'd like to commence the exploration of Tartarus."

"So, what is this place?" I was asking.

Mitsuru-senpai chuckled. "You'll see. It's almost time, after all."

I sighed at the lack of information. _Honestly, I know suspense is a good way to get people hyped up, but this 'mysterious aura' is really getting old. _

She chuckled again, as if she knew what I was thinking. "It's no surprise that you haven't seen it. It only appears during the Dark Hour, after all."

"What? Why?" Yukari asked.

"We don't know either. It's quite hard to explore that place when we only have three persona-users. And one has to remain outside." Akihiko said.

_What for? Backup? Why would you prefer reinforcements to someone who is actually inside with you? But then again, if you get stuck, __that__ backup could free you... but that doesn't always happen. Either way, two is too few to explore Tartarus. Whatever this 'Tartarus' is._

"But what we do know is that it is _their_ nest." Akihiko explained. "The shadows' nest. Exciting isn't it?"

"We all appreciate your enthusiasm, Akihiko. But you won't be exploring with us."

"I know, I know." The boxer grimaced.

_A few minutes before Dark Hour_

_Gekkoukan High, School Entrance – Mitsuru's POV_

"Uh... What are we doing here?" Iori asked. Obviously not happy to see the school again.

"It is almost time." said Akihiko, not even bothering to look up from his wristwatch. "Just wait."

Akihiko and I waited patiently, knowing what would come. Takeba on the other hand, was anxiously biting her lip and flexing her fingers. Iori had a smile that made me suspicious, but maybe he was just excited. But the person who made me curious was Arisato, he looked bored but his eyes moved slightly as if he was calculating some possibility. I looked at my watch. Only a few minutes left...

_Just what goes inside that mind of yours Arisato? If your name is Arisato... There is certainly more to you than you let on. _

I confirmed this when I checked his sword again on the pretense of cleaning it while he was in the hospital. On closer inspection, it was not an ordinary sword. It was made of silver not merely coated with it as I previously thought. The sword was of average weight and the hilt wasn't long, which means it was meant to be used with one-hand. But what really gave it away was the blade was sharp and clean.

The blade of a sword meant for decoration must be dull and dusty, since removal of the sheath is not encouraged. Why have a sword meant for battle with you? Unless of course you know how to use it. Which also proves that he wasn't merely 'lucky' at the fight with the shadow. After contemplating this, I double checked his file.

There was nothing there that suggested any training in sword fighting. Not to mention his comment when he was recruited. "It's not like you have cameras in every nook and cranny..." Could he have spotted the well-hidden cameras in his room?

_Dark Hour_

_Minato's POV_

I looked around me when the moon glowed green. Suddenly, I heard a grinding sound quickly becoming louder. The earth lurched and rumbled. Junpei who was unprepared, stumbled and cried out. Yukari took hold of the nearest object -which was my arm- to steady herself. While surprised myself, I managed to keep balanced and calm. My attention however, was soon taken from the rumbling floor. The school started to rise all the while forming impossible formations, joining and breaking with numerous walls. It continued to rise even at the height I was so sure it would fall. Statues appeared near the top -or rather the 'top' I could see. Who knows how high this thing is? My mind continued to calculate endless possibilities while my eyes took in everything.

_Even at a moment like this... I keep on thinking of stuff people my age shouldn't be thinking about. And no, it wasn't the dirty kind. My mind just won't let me rest... wonder if it's in the blood. Or maybe... *sigh* _

"So, this is Tartarus." I said calmly, as the tower continued to rise.

Mitsuru-senpai looked at me strangely. I was startled to see annoyance in her eyes. "You didn't react as I though you would, Arisato."

"Was there a specific way to react?" I asked sincerely. But she might have thought I was being sarcastic and instead shifted her eyes to the other juniors. I looked at Yukari -who was still holding my arm- and Junpei. They were both looking up with a somewhat shocked expression. Junpei's mouth was hanging open though.

I scoffed a bit inwardly. Did she think I wasn't surprised? Well I was, but I just don't do the whole I'm-so-surprised-and-my-mouth-is-hanging act. So I just shrugged.

"This is Tartarus." The Kirijo heiress explained once the earth stopped rumbling. "As Akihiko said, this is the nest of shadows. A labyrinth that only appears during the Dark Hour and after that it goes back to normal."

_Normal is overrated._

"Labyrinth?" Junpei asked once he picked his mouth from the floor. "What are you talking about?! What happened to our school?"

I looked at the redhead expecting an answer. Neither she nor the boxer answered Junpei's question. _No answer huh? Hmm... something tells me otherwise. _

"It doesn't matter." I said. "Not like knowing it would change anything."

"True." Yukari agreed.

Junpei decided to drop it and focus on the exploration. _That solves that... For a while at least. I just hope she realizes she has to trust us with information. But I better take my own advice. 'It doesn't matter.' _The boxer then knelt to unzip a bag we brought here.

"What's in the bag?"

"Here." Akihiko said as he gave a long sword to Junpei. "We can't let you guys fight without weapons. The long sword is for you, the bow Yukari's and the short sword Minato's." He said giving Yukari and me the weapons.

"Ahahaha!" Junpei laughed as he swished the sword around. "This is awesome."

"Hey, Watch it!" Akihiko yelled, dodging the incoming sword.

"Honestly, stupei. You're like a little kid." Yukari chastised. _Maybe this isn't such a good idea. An ally who doesn't know how to use his weapon is sometimes more dangerous than an enemy. I better keep an eye on him._

"Sorry." He apologized but he was still giddy with excitement.

"Okay, the three of you are going to explore the first floor of Tartarus." Akihiko started.

"Huh? You're not coming senpai?" Yukari asked Mitsuru.

"No. I will stay here and provide support." She said impassively. "You'll see once you get inside." she added when she saw our confused faces. _Hmm... so this is what Akihiko meant when he said one has to stay outside. _

"And I can't get past the entrance." Akihiko-senpai sighed. "Besides Mitsuru can only do so many things as support. So we will appoint a temporary leader to make any quick decisions."

"Oh! Oh! Me, me, pick me!" Junpei's excitement rose. Which I thought was impossible. Akihiko slightly winced at the thought of appointing Junpei leader. Especially after his escapade with the sword... Which leaves me and Yukari.

"Minato. You're in charge." Akihiko said after some deliberation.

"Whaaat? Why him?! He doesn't look like a leader." Junpei complained.

"Uh... what?" I asked. "Why me? Yukari was a member of SEES before I was." I saw a panicked look in Yukari's eyes.

"No!" she yelled. "Er... I mean, you fought them before." I was about to remind her that she was there with me when Junpei interrupted.

"Really?" Junpei asked with... awe? "C'mon Minato. Let's get going!"

I sighed seeing that I had no choice. "Okay. I'll do my best. Let's go!"

_Tartarus 1st Floor_

"What the heck?" I said as we entered. "This looks nothing like the entrance!" The three of us were in a grand room with 4 enormous columns in front of us. We stood on a marble floor that reminded me of a chessboard. But just like Tartarus itself, there were uneven curving of the floors. _Labyrinth indeed._

"It looks beautiful but creepy at the same time..." Yukari said, looking at the walls while she was walking around.

"Yukari, put your bow up. If something shows up, the last thing you'll want to see is the scenery." I scolded.

She grinned sheepishly and raised her bow. I was surprised to hear a voice -not inside my head- since the others jumped too. "Can you hear me?"

"Senpai!" Yukari said, edging closer to Junpei since she put her bow down to touch her ear. "Yes. We can hear you."

"I'll be providing audio backup from here on out." Senpai said. Her voice sounded a little mechanic so I presumed she used equipment to be able to do this. I looked up for some sign of a hidden camera.

"You can see us?" Junpei asked.

I could hear her chuckle inside my head. "It's my persona ability. There aren't any cameras around, so don't worry." _Touche' I wonder if she can read our minds... Scary thought. _"Given your current position, be prepared to encounter enemies at every corner. They shouldn't be too tough but proceed with caution."

"Aw right!" Junpei exclaimed running ahead of us. "Let's go!"

"Stupei, wait!" Yukari and I ran after him but were blocked by two small shadows that resembled... hands?

I sidestepped the one closer to me and shoved my sword sidewards into the head-like mask of the shadow. It gave a few death throes before dissipating like mist. _Huh? Just one hit and... _I heard Yukari scream. She was stepping back while shooting at the shadow but she was having difficulty because the abomination was so close to her. I ran toward them, intending to slash the monster from behind but it turned around and sent a fireball hurtling towards me.

I blocked just in time with my sword taking most of the hit. The tips of my sleeves were a bit burned though. Yukari took the chance and shot three arrows, making the shadow cry in pain. One more shot and it dissipated as well. "Great shooting." I complimented her.

"Thanks." she smiled. "Oh, we have to go after stupei!" I nodded and we ran after him. Soon, we found him around a corner along with two shadows that looked like blobs of black goo. He was wounded, one of the cuts he sustained was bleeding heavily. I immediately took the Evoker from it's holster and summoned Orpheus.

"Orpheus!" I yelled. It sent a fireball towards one and it burnt like fuel, screaming and eventually dissipating. Then Orpheus bashed the other but it dodged the persona and counterattacked. "Ugh." I felt like I was kicked in the shin. The shadow let out a sharp cry and suddenly we were surrounded by several shadows. I was filled with frustration. "For Pete's sake..." Orpheus summoned several fireballs and burnt three to ash. Yukari sent more shadows to their deaths as they advanced.

"There is a teleporter nearby! Use it to get to the entrance." The transceiver related senpai's voice.

"Yukari! Help Junpei up and find the teleporter!" I ordered as Orpheus sent more abominations to the shadow afterlife. "I'll cover you, hurry!"

Yukari nodded as she helped Junpei up. Orpheus continued to bash and burn the mass of shadows. Seeing the carnage my persona wrought, several retreated and soon only one remained. Sweat trickled down my forehead as Orpheus faded. It was getting harder to keep Orpheus around so I let him fade. I summoned up the energy I had and charged the last shadow.

Not long after it dissipated, I heard footsteps behind me. "Oh, they're gone..."

"Y-yeah. Most of them retreated." I panted. "Man, I'm beat."

"We should go before they come back." Yukari turned in what I thought was the direction of the teleporter when she picked something up. "What's this? It looks like a card."

"Some sort of reward? Or maybe it's dangerous..." I took it. The card had a picture of a girl with blue skin and a jewel on her head. "Either way, let's get back and show this to the senpais"

_Tartarus Entrance_

"Welcome back. How was it?" The boxer asked. I gave him a strange look.

"I'm dead tired." I sat on the ground resting against a pillar. "I'll just sit here for a while..."

"Yeah. I'm beat." Junpei said.

"That's 'cause you bounced around like a little kid."

"Bah. You look pretty tired yourself, Yuka-tan."

"I'm still trying to catch my breath actually..."

"That's the effect of the Dark Hour. It's easier to get tired at this time period." Mitsuru-senpai explained. "But you surprised me. At this rate, they'll surpass you Akihiko."

The boxer smirked. "We'll see about that when my injury heals."

I was only half aware of this discussion however. My attention was attuned to the glowing blue door to my right. For some reason, it reminded me of the key Igor gave me. I took the key from my front pocket and it was sucked into the keyhole. The door suddenly opened of its own volition and everything went white.

_Velvet Room, Tartarus Entrance_

I found myself seated in front of the man with the long nose, named Igor and to his right was Elizabeth, his assistant. "It's a pleasure to see you again, my dear boy." The man said in his mysterious voice.

"About that door..." I started.

"No one but you can see it. And enter it." Igor interrupted. "Time passes differently here, no one will notice your absence. At least for a while."

"Oh, okay." _If you say so... I do not want to explain this to the others. I'm not even sure how._

"I see the time has come for you to use your power." He said. "It is a mysterious one at that. It is like the number Zero. It is empty by itself, but it holds infinite possibilities. To nurture this power, you will need my help. And I shall give it to you."

"What's the catch?"

Igor chuckled. "There is no... catch, as you say it. The only thing I ask for in return is that you abide by the contract."

"I intend to do that."

"Your power is still in its beginning stage." He mused. "As I have told you before, your power will reflect your bonds with others. Now, time is running short. You have to go now. But please don't hesitate to come and visit us again."

_Tartarus Entrance_

"Hey, Minato!" Junpei was shaking me. He laughed as I looked up at him. "You fell asleep? You're that tired huh?"

"Oh, cut him some slack. It's your fault in the first place you know." Yukari scolded.

"Nah. The Dark Hour just took a lot out of me." I rose from the floor but winced when I put weight on my left foot.

"Is something wrong, Minato-kun?" Yukari noticed my wince.

"Last shadow must have hit me pretty hard." I knelt to check my foot. I sustained a cut to the ankle. "What are you doing?" I asked, when Yukari put her Evoker to her head.

"It's her power. She healed me with it." Junpei answered. Yukari's persona materialized in front of her. It came in the form of a woman with bright golden hair chained to a chair that looked like an animal's horned head. "Dia!" She yelled. Her persona followed the command and sent wisps the color of the sky towards my wound. Soon the pain was gone and the wound was healed with no trace.

"Thanks. Your power is pretty handy." I stood up and felt no pain at all.

"Hey, come on you three!" We heard Akihiko-senpai calling us. "You don't want to be in there when the Dark Hour ends!" Then suddenly a card manifested in front of me. "Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou shalt have our blessing when thou chooseth to make a persona of the Fool Arcana..." Then the card faded.

"Minato! Come on!"

"O-oh, right!" I ran to catch up to them.

With that the SEES members made their way back to the dorm without further incident.

**Author's Note:** Hi reader! If you haven't reviewed yet, please do click the review button at the bottom of the page and review. Just tell me what you think of my story, anything helps!


	7. Chapter 6: More than one

_**Chapter Six: More than one...**_

_April 21, 2009, Early Morning_

_Gekkoukan Entrance - Minato's POV_

TUESDAY

I walked alone on the way to school with my hands in my pockets and headphones on my ears, oblivious to the world around me. If only for the purpose of preventing my mind to roam, making observations I'd rather not know. After a while, I became aware of someone walking beside me, apparently saying something I couldn't hear.

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked, pausing the music and letting the headphones fall against my neck.

"That's okay." The boy said. He had a medium build, dark brown hair and half a head smaller than me. "I said, how are you, Arisato?"

"I'm fine, thank you." I replied. "And you are?"

"Oh yeah, we haven't been introduced yet." He extended his hand. "I'm Kenji Tomochika."

"Minato Arisato." I said, shaking his hand. "But you seem to know that already." Kenji laughed. "The guy who walked with Yukari to school on the first day got popular fast."

I sighed. "So I hear..."

"Hey, I understand! A man's gotta move fast nowadays" He laughed. "I prefer older women myself."

I gave him a perceptive nod. A nod that I use quite a lot in dealing with unstable or rather people who need patronizing. Not that he needed to know that. "I see." The bell rang making us end our conversation.

"Let's continue this some other time, man. Gotta jet!" Kenji said. _Not if I can help it..._

_School Auditorium, Morning_

"... Now we'll have a word from our new Student Council president." I groaned inwardly and probably audibly too. _More boring speeches?_ "When will this end?"

"Hopefully after Mitsuru-senpai gives her speech." Yukari answered.

"Rhetorical question. But you said, Mitsuru-senpai." I replied. "She's the council president?"

"Presenting the new Student Council President, Mitsuru Kirijo from class 3-D." A student talking on the auditorium stepped down from the platform. "I guess that answers my question."

"Oh that's right man. You were still in the hospital when the voting began." Junpei said, joining the conversation.

"So she got elected. Can't say I'm surprised, she _is_ the most popular girl in school." Yukari said, spite audible in her voice.

"Yeah, she has this aura around her or something..." Junpei agreed. "Sides, her family's company owns the school doesn't it?"

"As I begin my term as Student Council President," Mitsuru said, capturing my attention, "I'd like to share with you my vision for the coming year. It is my firm belief that each one of us should bear the responsibility for bettering this school. However, change cannot occur without sustained effort and an unprecedented level of commitment."

_She has a point, but I'm afraid that point falls on deaf ears. We are high school students for Pete's sake, this kind of speech is better suited for a campaign run or something. Then again, she might be scolding the student body in the guise of big words... And there is nothing like big words to make a normal teenager impassive. Oh, wait. We aren't normal, are we?_

"That is why we must restructure our daily lives, to better accommodate this lofty goal." The president continued. "I'd like each of you to reach deep inside, to tap into your well of motivation, reevaluate your goals and convictions… To see what is truly important. To imagine a bold new future without losing sight of the present reality around you…That is the key."

_Again... point falls on deaf ears. My apologies but she doesn't actually think that the student body would or rather could 'reevaluate our goals and convictions' does she? People our age just don't do things like that. Still, much better speech than Mr. Boring Principal..._

"I'm certain all of you have your own visions of the future; I want you to share them, so that the whole that is produced from that will be the sum of the best of us. For us to reap the full benefits of our education, your visions of the future, your dedication, and your participation… All are essential." Mitsuru swept her gaze over the audience of students. "Thank you."

"Whoa." Junpei said after our senpai stepped down. Then he turned to me. "So, can you tell me what she said?"

I sighed. "To make things short, she said that as students, we are responsible for bettering the school. To do this, she wants us to reach deep inside ourselves and look for motivation and inspiration all the while sharing our visions for the future so that each of us can function as a part of a whole." I stared at Junpei's blinking face. "She said more but that's it in a nutshell."

"I didn't understand that either!" He exclaimed. "Well, whatever her speech meant, sure didn't sound like something a high schooler would say. If it was anybody else we'd laughing our butts off."

"But you understood senpai's speech, Minato? You must have a big vocabulary." Yukari said.

"Not really. I just hear speeches like that all the time."

"Sure." Junpei laughed. "We better get going or Ms. Toruimi'll have our behinds."

_Gekkoukan Entrance, After School_

Junpei and I were on our way to Hagakure when we were stopped by Akihiko-senpai. "Are the two of you free this afternoon?"

"Yeah."

"Meet me at Paulownia Mall this afternoon. You know where it is right?" He asked me.

I nodded. "What d'ya have in mind, senpai?" Junpei asked, ogling some girls – the boxer's fan girls probably- at the distance.

"I'll be at the police station. Don't be late." He answered and left. _Police Station? _

Junpei elbowed me lightly and laughed. "Do you think we can get to hang out with those girls?"

"At the Police Station?" I smirked. "Unless senpai wants to file a complaint and we're there as witnesses... Probably not."

"P-police Station?!" Junpei exclaimed. "What the heck are we gonna do there?"

I shrugged. "Besides, I don't think he even knows their names."

"Whaat?! That's ridiculous. I mean, Look. At. Them." He pointed each of the girls for every word.

I smiled. "There are two more girls behind the bushes under the window a few feet behind us. And one more hiding behind the building over there." I said, without taking my eyes away from him. After a while, he left me to check those two places.

"When did you- How-?" He stammered when he returned. "You were facing away from them the whole time!"

I slapped his shoulder and went back inside laughing.

"Minato! Hey man, tell me!"

_Paulownia Mall, Police Station_

Akihiko-senpai was already talking with a lone officer behind a desk when Junpei and I arrived. "Oh, here they are." He said, turning to the two of us. "They were the ones I mentioned earlier, Officer."

The policeman behind the desk gave the two of us appraising looks. _I don't like the way he's lingering on my face... I hope he doesn't think I look familiar._ If the officer did recognize me, I suppose he let it slide.

"Guys, this is Officer Kurosawa." Akihiko said, after a moment. "Officer, Junpei Iori is the one with the hat and the other is Minato Arisato."

"I see."

"Officer Kurosawa helps keep our squad well equipped. I'm sure you realize that weapons and certain body armor are very hard to come by without... connections." The boxer explained. "Of course... they aren't exactly free."

"Of course. Nothing in life is." Came the officer's amused reply.

"So, if you are in need replacements on battered weapons and body armor, you know where to go. Given our circumstances, it happens a lot. I also suggest picking up some armor. They provide better protection than our uniforms after all." Akihiko reached for his pocket and he pulled out some money. "Ikutsuki-san told me to give this to you. You might see something you like." He gave the two of us 5,000 yen each.

"Kinda weird that a police station would sell high schoolers weapons..." Junpei said as soon as the boxer left. "I know the Kirijo Group can pull some strings for us... but still."

"While I may be an ordinary police officer, I am not stupid." The officer said. "It doesn't take a genius to know that something isn't right here. While the textbook says I should be arresting SEES for possessing these weapons, my duty as a police officer does not. The police cannot deal with these matters so the least I could do is help the people who can."

"Yeah, but shouldn't you be like... selling us guns instead of swords and bows?" Junpei asked.

"Guns are a lot harder to deal with than your average antiques." The officer laughed. "Not to mention the amount of red tape I would have to go through even with my connections."

"Well, can we see your wares?" I asked. I decided to buy a Gladius, a sword that was slightly heavier and more balanced than the sword the senpais gave me. Junpei decided to take off after he bought a new weapon of his own.

I was about to leave as well when Officer Kurosawa asked me a question. "Is your grandfather aware of your business here?" I stopped in my tracks. "You thought I wouldn't recognize you? The blue hair is quite a giveaway."

"All he knows is I am away to finish my high school education." I answered, my voice impassive. " And no, he does not know of my involvement with SEES. And I wish to keep it that way for as long as possible."

"I'll deliver the swords to the dorm at midnight." He said, ending the discussion with a hint of amusement in his voice.

_Iwatodai Dorm, Evening_

_Kurosawa recognized me... He wouldn't tell Grandfather. Would he? But... he did say he's helping us... If Grandfather found out what I'm doing here... No. I can't let him know. Tch. I'm such a hypocrite. I refuse to participate in the family business, but now I explore a dangerous tower full of hidden and unknown mysteries. Which frankly, is just as dangerous as the family business. Probably even more. _

"Arisato." I became aware of someone beside me. "Are you listening to me?"

My facial expression was slightly apologetic. Hiding my slight annoyance behind the faithful mask. "Sorry senpai. What were you saying?"

"I didn't see you as the type to daydream." She mused. "I wanted to talk to you about leading the exploration." She paused for a moment to let it sink in. When I didn't respond, she continued. "As you can see, Akihiko is still recovering from his wound and I have to stay on support for as long as needed. The best arrangement that I can see is to let you continue acting as the leader of the field team."

I shrugged. "If you say so, senpai. But don't get your hopes up."

She chuckled. "Don't sell yourself short just yet, Arisato. As the field leader, you decide when to explore Tartarus for our forays into the tower. I don't think I need to tell you the importance of training especially since we can't be sure when an unusually powerful enemy might appear."

I nodded. "Like the one that attacked the dorm, huh? Well, I think taking it slow and steady seems to be the best course of action." I stood up. "I'll be turning in for tonight. Good night, senpai."

"Good night, Arisato." She greeted back.

_Minato's Room_

I carefully removed my beloved sword, Demon's Bane, from its sheath. I traced the intricate designs on the hilt with my fingers. I sighed as I stared at the silver blade, it was clean thanks to Mitsuru-senpai, but there was a crack no amount of cleaning could fix.

_I need to get Demon's Bane fixed. But I can't let Grandfather know, he'll ask me how this happened. Can I risk asking his assistant? I might be able to pull it off, but..._

I took a deep breath and dialed the number of Grandfather's secretary. "Hello, This is Skylark Industries, we take your dreams to the Sky." She repeated the tired line in a cheery voice. "How may I help you?"

"Akira, it's Minato."

"Oh, hello, Arisato-san. Do you want to talk to the CEO?" She asked, her voice friendlier.

"No, no. I don't want to talk to Grandfather." I replied.

"Ohhh..." She purred. "Then maybe you just wanted to hear my voice?"

"No." I said, my voice even. "I wanted to ask you something."

I heard her gasp on the line. For what reason her mind came up with I don't know. "Minato, I- I don't think I'm ready. Do you really want to marry me that badly?"

I rolled my eyes. "Akira, I'm serious."

"You're no fun. What do you want then?"

"Well, I was thinking on making a new sword. Do you know where I can find a reliable person or company that makes and repairs high quality swords?" I asked.

"You boys and your toys... At your age, I thought you'd be thinking more about girls than swords." She sighed. "Yes, I know a reliable place."

"Good. I knew I could count on you." I smiled. "Where is it?"

"And why would I tell you?" Akira smirked. "Unless of course, there's something in return."

_Of course... There's always something in return. _"What do you want?"

"Oh, I'll think of something..." She said. "How about you owe me one thing. I can't think of one right now, but I'll call when I do."

"Deal. Now where is the place?" I took a piece of paper and wrote down the address Akira gave me. _Jackpot. _"Akira do me a favor, don't tell Grandfather."

"Planning on doing something naughty, Minato?"

"Well, I just want to surprise him. The sword is for him you know, as a token of my thanks." I lied. Akira was an efficient secretary but she was a little naïve.

"Aww. That's sweet. Okay, for the old man." She said.

"Right, thanks." I hung up and looked at the piece of paper in my hand. _It's pretty far... but it's worth it. Who knows, I might make that lie true, and make a sword for him after all._

_April 22, 2009, Early Morning_

_Gekkoukan Entrance_

"...Most of those Apathy Syndrome people are probably just lazy." I heard as I approached the school gates. "I hope it's not contagious."

"Hey, the athletic teams are accepting new members, today. Maybe we should join." One girl told the first.

"Yeah. That's a great idea." The first said. The two of them kept talking as they went out of earshot range. _Athletic teams are accepting new members, you say? Maybe I should join too._

_Lunchtime_

"What's up, Arisato?" Kenji asked, sitting beside me. "I tried to look for you yesterday. I thought we were going to continue that talk."

"Sorry, I had things to take care of."

"Busy already?" He smirked. "Look man, you should learn to have fun! Get out some more." He paused to chew his food. "Sides, I thought the rumors 'bout you and Yukari were real."

"Yukari and I just live in the same dorm." I repeated the same line again.

"Really? Yukari is pretty hot, I would have gone for her if she was older..." Kenji said. _Oh, right he likes older women.. _The bell rang signaling the end of our lunch break. "You're an interesting guy, wanna join me at Hagakure this afternoon?"

"I kinda have things to do today. How about tomorrow?" I asked.

He looked perplexed. "Pretty busy aren't cha? Yep, tommorow then. I'll hold you to that!"

_After School_

I sat under the Persimmon tree breathing the fresh air after observing each of the athletic clubs. _Swim, Track and Kendo. I'm good with a sword but I just don't see it as a sport. I'm not a bad swimmer, been taught by my father when I was young. My father... is that right? Was he the one who taught me how to fight with swords as well? Grandfather did say that Demon's Bane was actually my father's. Such a pity I remember so little about him... Not like thinking about it is gonna help me remember. Not with this stupid traumatic amnesia..._

_So, Track. Not as good as running as I am with swimming but I'm best with swords. Too bad there isn't a swimming pool or a sparring partner available nearby. My skills are rusting..._

"Hey, Minato. What're you doing here?" I stood up to acknowledge Yukari. "Just thinking. Practice is finished, I presume?"

She laughed. "I'm all dirty and sweaty. Good thing I found you. Our physics teacher was looking for you a while ago."

"What for?"

"I dunno." She shrugged. "Anyway, I gotta hit the showers, see you at the dorm." Yukari left me and headed to the direction of the showers. I, on the other hand, decided to go to the Faculty Office. I just entered the hallway when the stern-looking physics teacher approached me. "Minato, I heard things about you."

I held my hands up in mock surrender. "Whatever it is, I didn't do it."

The teacher's stern face softened. "I hear that you know what makes a sword tick, Arisato." _Where did he hear that? _"Have you thought of joining the Kendo club?"

"Yes, I have. But I'm not really familiar with the tournament rules."

"Well we can take care of that. Would you like to..."

_Iwatodai Dorm, Evening_

I hope I did the right thing when I agreed to join the Kendo club a while ago. I was originally planning to join the swim team. But the Kendo team is pretty cool too. I told senpai that I wanted to go to Tartarus tonight. She told me would notify the others as soon as possible. I decided to get ready myself and went to my room.

_Tartarus_

We reached the fourth floor without incident. Junpei wasn't as overly enthusiastic as before and Yukari overcame her hesitation in summoning her persona. As the three of us explored the fourth floor as a group, we found two more cards similar to the one Yukari found last time.

"You don't feel anything from these cards?" I asked the two of them, giving them the cards they found.

"No. We don't feel anything." They answered. One of the cards had the same picture as the one Yukari found and once I touched it, it disappeared. The other had a picture of a small girl with wings. I felt some strange power emanating from both. _Odd..._ I decided to forget about it and head on to the fifth floor.

"Be careful! I sense a powerful shadow ahead. Arisato, it's up to you whether you want to continue or return for now. There is a teleporter up ahead." Senpai warned through the transceiver. "Return if you think you are not ready yet."

True enough the teleporter was only a few feet away when we set foot on the 5th floor. But that wasn't what caught my attention. There were three massive bird shadows in the room adjacent to the teleporter. The crows didn't attack us however, they only watched us with their beady eyes. _In other words, we have to defeat these guys if we want to climb the stairs. _

"We'll return for now. You guys must be tired given that we have climbed 4 floors nonstop." I said as I walked to the teleporter. Unfortunately, the shadows had a different idea. I jumped back as I felt some movement in their direction. I didn't plan on becoming bird food for these punks. "Drat! We have no choice."

The shadows were agile. Easily avoiding Yukari's arrows and Junpei's Agi spells. "Wind spells don't work!" Yukari exclaimed when she shot a Garu spell at a flying crow.

"Split up. Keep moving, don't be an easy target. Senpai! Scan them. Junpei, focus on slashing these things with Hermes instead. Yukari aim for their eyes if you can!" I shouted orders as I summoned Orpheus.

Orpheus bashed one crow as it flew for Junpei crushing the shadow with the heavy lyre. But the shadow wasn't finished, it aimed a Garu spell of its own at Junpei. "Junpei watch out!" Junpei fell to his knees as the Garu spell, his elemental weakness, hit him. I ordered Orpheus to finish the weakened shadow off. "Yukari! Take care of Junpei, I'll cover you." Yukari nodded as she acknowledged my order and ordered Io to heal Junpei.

"The shadow is called a Venus Eagle. I am unable to see any weaknesses or strengths." said senpai once she finished scanning.

I ran to the corner farthest from Junpei and aimed Agi spells at the faces of the two remaining _Venus Eagles_. The shadows took the taunt and left Yukari alone. _Oh boy, here we go._ One of them dove down and tried to peck me, I anticipated the attack and dodged. Only to find myself battered by a Garu spell. I summoned Orpheus to bash them but the _Venus Eagles_ dodged easily.

"Arisato, be careful!"

"I'm trying, senpai! These things are fast and agi spells just don't do the trick!" I argued. I groaned as Orpheus was hit with a Garu spell.

**I think you need some help, Master.** I heard a female voice inside my head. **Orpheus won't last much longer.** _Are you a persona? _**What do you think? I'm not exactly happy at being ignored...**

I ordered Orpheus to fade as I took a card from my front pocket. It glowed blue as it floated in my left hand then it faded as I felt its presence in my mind. **I am yours to command, Master. **"Let's do this." I felt the Evoker's cold touchagainst my forehead. The two _Venus Eagles _turned their attention to me and dove. "Apsaras! Bufu!" I yelled and sent a wave of ice towards the two shadows.

The shadows' wings froze mid flight and they fell with a startled scream. "Minato, what was that?" Junpei asked, he stood after Yukari healed him. I waved my free hand. "Later. Let's finish this first. All-out Attack!" The three of us rushed in to attack the frozen shadows.

"So, what was that?" Yukari asked as the shadows dissipated. "Did you summon another Persona?"

"I think so." I took the card with the picture of the girl with wings and just like Apsaras, it glowed blue for a moment and faded. "That one was Pixie..."

"Interesting. I never thought it possible to summon more than one Persona." Senpai said. "But the three of you must be tired, especially after that difficult fight."

"Yeah. I can hear my bed calling me already." Junpei sighed. "But man, multiple personas? That's so cool."

I just smiled and walked to the teleporter. "We better get going. I don't want to fall asleep here. We have school tomorrow after all."

**Author's Note: Do you guys see the review button below? Would you be so kind as to click it and post a review? Oh, and the longer the better. Reviews like "Good job." and such are nice and all but they don't really help. **

**It wont really hurt to say what you liked/hated about the chapter right? It gives writers like me more motivation to make the story better and update it. Thank you to all those who have reviewed before! And to the infamous 'those who just read and not review' please do.**


	8. Chapter 7: Social Links

_**Chapter Seven: Social Links**_

_April 23, 2009, Velvet Room_

_Minato's POV_

THURSDAY

"Ah, there you are." Igor said as I found myself in the usual seat. This time I entered the door at the alley near Paulownia Mall. "Welcome to the Velvet Room. I suppose it's time for me to explain what kind of assistance I can offer you." He paused. "It is my job to create new Personas."

"Excuse me? Did you say new Personas?"

"Yes, but in order to do so, I must fuse your Persona cards together..." He chuckled. "In other words, I shall merge them into a single Persona."

"When you say fuse, does that mean I'll use the cards themselves?" I asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. You can find more cards in the tower you explore but some Personas can only be obtained through fusion." Igor explained. "The number of Personas you have buried within you is approximately 200... more or less."

"What? Two HUNDRED?!"

"We've never seen a visitor with this many possibilities before..." Igor pondered. "If you establish Social Links, you may be able to create even stronger Personas, too."

"You've mentioned that before. What exactly is this... social link?"

"You have already established one. The Fool Arcana, rank 2." He said. "Don't you remember the floating card and the voice? That is a Social Link." He laughed. "This should prove veery interesting. As you accumulate cards, bring them to me. I shall fuse them for you."

"Uh... okay. I have three at the moment." I said. My brow furrowed as I tried to absorb the _things_ Igor told me. I don't really know if I can call it information.

"Hmm... yes. Orpheus, Apsaras and Pixie. We can fuse Personas two at a time or three at once." Igor explained. "If you choose to fuse the three of them, you shall receive Forneus. A Persona of the Emperor Arcana. However, you aren't capable enough to handle Forneus, yet."

"What do you mean?"

"Personas come in varying strengths. Summoning one that is stronger than you could prove very disastrous. The persona will not listen to you and may even harm you if you cannot control it." Igor said. "I will only fuse Personas that you can control."

"Oh, I see. What will I get then if I summon two?"

"Orpheus fused with Pixie will result in Apsaras. You don't need that. If Orpheus is fused with Apsaras, It will result in Angel, a Persona of the Justice Arcana. Pixie and Apsaras together will result in Nekomata, a Persona of the Magician Arcana."

_According to Igor, Nekomata has Agi and Cleave the same skills as Junpei's Hermes. It will also inherit Pixie's Dia. Angel on the other hand, has Garu and Patra, a skill that dispels ailments. It will inherit Orpheus' Bash. I don't want to lose Apsaras yet, seeing as her Bufu skill saved us yesterday. Pixie's Dia is also handy, just in case Yukari isn't around. Angel's Patra is the only one the team doesn't have. But I don't think I need it now..._

"Maybe another time Igor. I think I need all the skills my Personas have now."

"I see. We look forward to your next visit."

_Hagakure Ramen, After School_

I decided to take Kenji up on his offer of Ramen. I had nothing better to do, besides according to Igor, the strength of the Social Link is the strength of the Persona.

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about! The ramen tastes great doesn't it?" Kenji said. "I think they put a special ingredient in it... something no other ramen shop knows about. Oh, sorry, I get all nerdy when I eat here."

"The ramen here _is_ the best I've tasted." I agreed. "There's not much but instant ramen back in Tokyo."

"Really? Then you can appreciate the subtle yet distinct flavor of the soup?" He laughed. "You don't look like the type of person I'd normally hang out with. I guess looks aren't everything..."

_What is that supposed to mean? If it was anybody else, I'd take that as an insult. Then again, I'm not sure I want to look like anyone you'd hang out with..._

"Hey, let's hang out after school sometime. I've got a secret plan... Wait 'till you hear it, you're gonna flip!" He laughed.

A blue card with a picture of a pair of hands summoning a ball of flame floated in front of me. The card had the roman numeral I on the bottom. "_Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou hast established a new bond... Thou shalt be blessed when creating Persona's of the Magician Arcana..." _A voice rang in my head. _Another Social Link? The Magician, huh?_

"It's already dark out? Oh no, I'm gonna miss my favorite TV show!" He stood up. "I gotta go, man. See ya at school." He ran out the door.

_Did he even pay? Tch. Oh well, I guess I can foot the bill this time. I wonder how they profit while selling the ramen so cheaply. Hmm... maybe more people buy the ramen because it so cheap... _I stood and paid for our ramen while still thinking about the average profit they make.

_April 24, 2009, After School_

_Kendo Club_

FRIDAY

"So, Minato. You're the guy who went out with Yukari Takeba the first day of school, right?" The future club captain approached after the physics teacher introduced me. "You're practically famous."

_This again? Will everyone who approach me talk about this? _"Yukari and I are just friends, we live in the same dorm." I repeated for the umpteenth time.

"The name's Kazushi Miyamoto. You've seen me around, right?" He extended his hand.

"Nice to meet you. And no." I smiled.

"You're hurting my pride here, man." He pouted. "Everyone knows who I am!" I laughed. "I was just kidding. We're in the same class right?"

"Hey, Kaz." A tan girl wearing the school's P.E uniform approached us. "Is this the new guy?"

"Oh yeah. Yuko, this is Minato Arisato. I'm sure you've heard the rumors about him." Kazushi introduced us. "And Minato, this is-"

"Yuko Nishiwaki. I'm the manager for the Kendo club." She interrupted. "Pleasure to meet you, Yuko-san."

"We're in the same year, right? You can call me Yuko."

"Then you can call me, Minato." I smiled.

"Oh yeah, I wanted to tell you that just coz' you joined mid-season, doesn't mean I'll go easy on you! Ya hear?" Kazushi grinned menacingly.

"Shut up Kaz! Don't scare the new guy away on his first day!" Yuko chastised.

"Sorry." He apologized. "But you're mine after school." He added.

I smirked. "Bring it!"

"That's what I wanted to hear, man!" Kazushi laughed._ "_Hey, if you're up to it, let's have a match here and now, Minato!"

I frowned. "I'd love to. But I'm not familiar with the rules, if you can explain them, I'd be grateful."

"Kazushi! This is his first day, he was just supposed to have a look around." Yuko scolded the future captain. "I'll explain the rules to you, Minato-kun."

_So, the only think that's important is to hit your opponent, huh? Get past their defenses, move quick and hit them where it hurts the most. I guess the basics are the same as Fencing but the fighting style is different... _

"All right, I think I've got the gist of it." I said. The students made enough room for us to fight each other. Kazushi and I stepped on the mat and raised our blades, our eyes determined. Twenty minutes later, I removed the mask, panted heavily and crouched on the floor trying to regain my breath. I had won.

Kazushi did the same thing I did. "You're fast, man. I heard you were good, but I didn't think you were this good." He panted.

I laughed shortly. "It was luck."

"Luck? Ha. As I said, you're mine after school!"

Suddenly, another card floated in front of me. It was a yellow card with a red picture of a warrior pulling a chariot. "_Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou shalt have our blessing when creating Personas of the Chariot Arcana..." _The voice rang in my head again. _Another Social Link?... Two in less than a week... But I don't think it's going to be that easy._

_Iwatodai Dorm, Evening_

"Oh, hey." Yukari greeted me when I reached the dorm. "Say, Minato-kun. Have you joined any clubs?"

"Yes, I have. The Kendo club actually."

"Oh yeah? I figured you'd join Kendo, seeing how good you are with the sword and all.." Yukari said.

"Speaking of which, where did you learn how to fight like that, Arisato?" I wasn't even aware that Mitsuru-senpai was listening to our discussion. _I bet you've been itching to ask me that, weren't you? There shouldn't be anything in the 'files' you read about me. _

"Training." I casually said. _But I guess, I'm just telling you something you already know..._

Her eyes narrowed. Obviously not convinced. "I see." _You have to figure that on your own, senpai. Wouldn't be fun, otherwise._

"I think we should go to Tartarus, tonight. With all the Lost, I think we should do all we can to help." Yukari said. "There wasn't any practice today anyway, I could use the exercise."

"Just don't take it lightly, okay? It's dangerous there." Mitsuru-senpai said.

"Uh huh." I laid myself down on the soft cushions of the couch. "Maybe tomorrow is a better day, I'm beat."

"I guess so." Yukari agreed. "I heard from Yuko that Kazushi challenged you a while ago."

"Seriously? How did it go?" Junpei asked.

"He won." Akihiko answered. "Apparently, our leader is good at fighting things besides Shadows."

I stared at each of them in turn. "What is wrong with all of you?" I muttered sleepily. "You guys sound like the rumor mongers at school..." I sighed. "Bah. In any case, were going to Tartarus tomorrow. I'm going to hit the sack, before I fall asleep here..."

_April 25, 2009, After School_

_Bookworms Used Books_

SATURDAY

Since I heard about the bookstore opening at the strip mall this morning, I decided it might not be a bad idea to check it out. _I can buy a book to help kill some time. I wonder if they have any of the classic fantasies... Or maybe some good detective stories._

When I entered the bookstore, I saw an old man and woman behind the counter. "Welcome." The man said. "What would you like today? We have some fresh mackerel!"

_Mackerel? _"Um, what?" I asked.

"I'm sorry, as you can see, we don't sell fish here." The old woman, probably the old man's wife, apologized.

I was inspecting the books on the shelves. "You're a student aren't you? You must be from Gekkoukan High." The old man observed. _Well, it is the only high school around here..._ I nodded. "That means you know about the Persimmon tree there..."

_Persimmon tree? _"What tree?"

"Do you think I'm making this up? I'm serious, young man." The old man said. "It's planted beside a walkway, near a courtyard at your school."

_The tree near the Gym? What connections do they have with that tree?_ The old woman sighed. "Don't mind him. He's rambling on like an old man." She smiled. "Just ignore him..."

I bought a few Sherlock Holmes books at the bookstore. After saying goodbye to the old couple, I left the store and went to the Paulownia Mall.

_Iwatodai Dorm, Evening_

After drinking some of the 'famous' Pheromone Coffee at Chagall Cafe, I headed back to the dorm. It was weird though, on my way back, I noticed a few people looking at me. I dismissed the thought of it having to do with the coffee. Ridiculous. Akihiko-senpai was the only one in the Lounge when I got there.

I found Junpei and Yukari on the second floor. Junpei was reading some manga and Yukari was eating instant ramen. I bought a Cielo Mist from the vending machine and sat down on one of the chairs.

"You're always the last one to arrive, man." Junpei put his manga down. "Pretty busy aren't cha?"

"Nah. I was just walking around Paulownia Mall." I drank the Cielo Mist. "And I bought some books from the bookstore too."

"Books? You're like an old man." He groaned.

"At least he reads books, stupei." Yukari sighed. "Mitsuru-senpai should be at the Command Room. She said she was going to train or something. Oh, but if you want to go to Tartarus tonight, she said it was okay."

I nodded. "Well be going tonight. I want to experiment with this ability of mine." I took out one of the books I bought and started to read.

_Mitsuru's POV_

Penthesilea faded as I leaned on the backrest of one of the couches. I decided to take a break from training and turned to the files on the table. I read each and everyone of them before. None of the files had any information out of the ordinary. Not that they were supposed to, the files after all, were just routine background checks on the three juniors, Junpei, Yukari and Minato.

I received the files before the subject came to be a resident of the dorm. As I said, the files had no information out of the ordinary. Yukari's and Junpei's files had the normal background check information. Parents, Age, place and date of birth, additional information, etc. But in Minato's case, it was _too_ ordinary. Some information were missing, like the names of his parents. But what me curious was the lack of information regarding where he learned to wield a sword like that.

The door opened, making me close the file. "Oh, Akihiko. It's you." I opened the file again.

"You're still worried about that?" He asked, knowing all too well who's file I was reading. "He's already a part of SEES you know, leader of the field team at that."

"It's not that I don't trust him, Akihiko." I explained. "It's more that I'm uncomfortable with this lack of information. It's like his file was tampered with..."

"Who would even do that?" Akihiko scoffed. "Besides, the file came straight from the Kirijo Group, right?"

"I guess you're right. I better get back to training." I stood and retrieved my Evoker.

"You're worrying too much, Mitsuru." He laughed. "I better leave you then."

No sooner than I summoned Penthesilea and Akihiko left the room, did I hear the door open. "Did you forget something?" I asked without looking up from the computer, thinking it was Akihiko.

"Forget what, senpai?" A familiar voice asked.

"Oh, Arisato. It's you." I faced him. "What's the matter?"

He glanced at the three files on the table then met my eyes. _No doubt, he knows what those files contain._ "I just wanted to tell you that I plan on going to Tartarus, tonight."

I nodded. "Do the others know?"

"Yeah. Everyone's coming. Well, maybe except Akihiko-senpai." Arisato answered. "That's your persona, I presume?"

I nodded. "Oh, right this is the first time you've seen Penthesilea."

He smiled for some reason. "Penthesilea huh? First persona I know of that isn't related to Greek Mythology in any way."

"Interesting observation, Arisato." I raised an eyebrow.

"Just thought I should mention it." He shrugged. "I guess I better let you train in peace." He stood and left the Command Room.

_It's true, Penthesilea is the only persona of the group that isn't related to Greek mythology._ **How lonely, Master. **Penthesilea sighed sarcastically. **Oh, how I miss the battlefield... rather than just scanning there and scanning here...** _Stop complaining, Penthesilea. It reflects on me. _I sensed Penthesilea's amusement. **You're so uptight... You should try it sometime, Master.**

_Tartarus_

_Minato's POV_

6TH FLOOR.

"Hold on." Senpai stopped us as soon as we set foot on the 6th floor. "_The Shadows on this floor are a bit different than the ones you've faced thus far. Proceed with caution._"

Around one corner, we were attacked by three shadows. Two were of the Magic hand type and the other was a shadow called the Obsessed Cupid. "Senpai, analyze the cupid." I ordered as I ordered Orpheus to Bash one of the Magic Hands.

The shadow wailed as it dissipated. "Hermes!" Junpei yelled, ordering his persona to cleave the remaining Magic Hand. It wasn't enough, however. The shadow aimed a Bufu spell at me and I rolled just in time to evade the attack.

Yukari shot an arrow and ended the Magic Hand's existence. "_The enemy's weakness is ice! It's strong against wind._" Senpai said through the transceiver.

I shifted the Gladius to my left hand and concentrated. Three cards materialized in my right hand, with Orpheus' in the middle. The other two rotated around the middle card. I replaced Orpheus' card with Apsaras'. I took my Evoker from my waist and summoned Apsaras. "Bufu!"

Apsaras sent an icicle towards the last shadow and it disappeared. "Let's go." I said and we explored the floor without encountering any more shadows.

"Wait..." Senpai said as we reached the seventh floor. "There it is again!"

"_What_ is there again?" Yukari asked.

"_I detect another powerful foe above you!_" Mitsuru-senpai said. "_It's still relatively far away, but be careful as you work your way upward._"

"Got it. Let's proceed." I said.

We reached the 8th floor quickly. After exploring the floor, we came across two cupids. Apsaras made short work of them both.

"You can do a lot with that ability of yours, huh?" Junpei said as we explored more.

"I'm still experimenting with it." I said. "I'm still wondering what happened when I first summoned my persona, though."

Yukari shuddered. "You mean, _that one_?"

I nodded. "Why? What happened?" Junpei asked.

Yukari and I were saved from answering him as we came across three new shadows. They were called Merciful Mayas. Senpai told me that they were weak to Bufu, Zio, an electric spell and Garu. It was strong to Agi spells though.

"Junpei, forget Agi spells. Just focus on cleaving or slashing them with your sword. Yukari, focus on healing us." I ordered. One bufu spell from Apsaras was enough to defeat the Maya. I ordered Apsaras to send another icicle but it missed. Junpei summoned Hermes and cleaved a Maya as he dodged its attack.

I easily dodged the last Maya's advance and shoved the gladius in it's mask. "Great job, guys." I complimented as the last shadow disappeared. We ran into some trouble at the ninth floor. We ran into three Cowardly Mayas. Unfortunately, one attacked me from behind so I was unable to dodge it. "Ugh." I grunted as I took the brunt of the attack, Apsaras' weakness.

Hermes' Agi stopped another from attacking me. "Thanks." I said as I stood up. I replaced Apsaras with Orpheus. "You're gonna pay for that." I muttered and summoned Orpheus. "Burn it down!"

The shadows were soon reduced to ash, thanks to Hermes and Orpheus. "Are you okay, Minato-kun?" Yukari asked me.

"Yeah. I can still stand." I said as I summoned Pixie to heal me. "My uniform is another story though..." My jacket was slashed. _I better buy a new one tomorrow. _"Once we reach the next floor, we return to the lobby. I'm sure there's another teleporter there."

"I hope we don't get ambushed, like last time." Yukari said.

"We won't." I reassured her. And sure enough, there was a teleporter on the next floor and we weren't ambushed by the powerful shadow.

_Tartarus Entrance_

"Do you think the powerful shadows in Tartarus could have had something to do with the one who hurt Akihiko-senpai?" I was asking Mitsuru-senpai as we rested before going back to the dorm.

"I don't know." Senpai shook her head. "But the shadow you fought on the roof was much stronger than the powerful ones I can sense in the tower."

"Really? But..." Yukari trailed off looking at me.

"Yeah." I said, getting the gist of Yukari's unasked question. _That other one... Thanatos. It beated up the Shadow on the roof like it was nothing. _

"What the heck are you guys talking about?" Junpei asked.

"The night that Akihiko-senpai got injured and Minato first summoned Orpheus." Yukari explained. _Quite vaguely to boot._

"Senpai, can Shadows 'escape' from Tartarus?" I asked.

"It has happened before." She nodded. "But the ones I have encountered were just average."

"In other words, none as strong as the powerful ones here and the one on the roof." I muttered.

Junpei yawned, bored with the talk of Shadows. "I'm sleepy. Good thing it's a Sunday tomorrow. I'm gonna sleep all day!"

I laughed. "Let's get going then. We can continue this another time."

_April 26, 2009, Early Morning_

_Minato's Room_

SUNDAY

I took the chance to sleep in late today. Who knows when I'll get another chance. I just finished taking a bath when my phone rang. "Minato Arisato, here." I answered the phone once I finished dressing.

"Hey, man. This is Kenji. Do you have time to talk?" Kenji's voice said through the line.

"Yeah."

"Are you free today? Wanna hang out?"

"Sure. What do you have in mind?"

"Really? Cool." He seemed excited. "I'll meet you at Paulownia Mall, Power Records. You know where it is, right?"

"Yeah. Okay." I hung up.

_Paulownia Mall, Power Records_

Kenji and I were having fun hanging out. "Yess! I finally got D'z's new single!" He told me.

"D'z?" I asked.

"Dude! How can you not know D'z?!" He exclaimed. "He's such a great singer, and he looks so cool on stage!" He paused for a moment. "Hey, this is the first time I've seen you in normal clothes..." He looked at me up and down, staring at my clothes.

"Not bad... Not bad at all!" Kenji said. "But, there are some thongs you could do to look better..."

I smiled. "Like what?"

He smiled back. "Alright, let's see... Hmm... Here, like this. Yeah, that looks better." He fidgeted with my clothes. "You're pretty good looking to begin with, dude. If you know how to dress, you're good to go!"

"So, nice to meet your approval." I sarcastically smiled.

Kenji, however was oblivious. "You can be my wingman!"

I laughed. "You're wingman? Sure..." Kenji and I left the mall laughing. When I got back to the dorm, I studied for a while then slept.

_April 27, 2009, Early Morning_

_Gekkoukan Auditorium_

MONDAY

"I don't see the point of another assembly." I muttered. "We had one just last week!"

"Yeah, remember how great senpai's speech was?" Yukari, who was beside me asked. I nodded. "Well, I heard that the principal got jealous so he made a speech of his own to compete with her."

"What's up with that?!" Junpei joined the discussion. "Why do we have to suffer because of his ego?"

"We'll now begin this morning's assembly." A teacher said, then he was replaced by the principal. "Thank you." said the principal.

"Honestly, you'd think the speech was about the incidents..." Yukari muttered.

"Who cares?" Junpei asked. "He doesn't know anything about the shadows anyway."

"I just hope this doesn't take long..." I sighed.

"Tell me about it. His speeches always drag..." Yukari said.

"Ahem." The principal cleared his throat quite audibly. "Today, I'd like to tell you my, um, vision for this school year." _Um? Pssh... how dumb can you get? _"As you are aware, strange incidents have been reported on the news lately. It is my firm belief that none of you are involved."

_Boring..._ "However, if we all want to better our school, then we all need to accept responsibility for change." The principal said. "Dig deep down inside, and tap into your imaginations." _Wait a sec... _"..But don't lose touch with reality. As they say, there's no use crying over spilt milk. " The principal continues... "This is the key to reaping all the rewards that school has to offer..."

"Doesn't this remind you of senpai's speech?" Yukari observed. "Almost word for word..." Junpei agreed.

"His speech doesn't even make any sense..." I muttered. "At least senpai's was better worded."

"What's up with that?!" Junpei declared. "I can't believe he made us sit through this. Just to relay the same speech senpai said..."

_After School_

_Gekkoukan Rooftop_

"Wow, quite a view from up here."I told no one in particular, as I leaned on the railing of the rooftop. At lunchtime, senpai approached me. She asked me to meet her on the rooftop after school. _'Special request' she said... What on earth does that even mean?_ _And why me?... _

I decided to shake my curiosity and just appreciate the view from the rooftop. _The view from up here truly is one of a kind... not even the highest buildings in Tokyo had a view like this. _My gaze went from one point of the city to the next. _So, _this_ is what were fighting to protect._

_But I can't say, that's all that made me agree to join SEES. While one of the factors, it wasn't the major one. I'm not a hero. Never have been. Never will be._ "I apologize for the wait, Arisato." I heard Mitsuru say as the roof door opened. "And for the 'mysterious' nature of my request."

"It's okay." I turned to her. "The classroom has a lot of prying ears."

She smiled. "To make a long story short, I'm asking you to join the Student Council as my deputy."

My hands habitually found their way into my pockets. "Eh? I-I mean, why?" _I certainly didn't expect that. I've been only at this school for a few weeks. Isn't asking me to join the Council kind of... I don't know, weird?_

"Well, it's not like you'd have to participate in every activity." She smiled. _Probably thinking, score one for me... _"Just come to the Student Council room when you have the time."

"But... why me?"

She blinked. As if she didn't expect the question. "Because of your leadership ability. Being President is very time-consuming. I'd like to have additional help available in the case of emergencies."

"I guess. But don't you think the members of the council deserve the position? And what about the Vice President?"

"The council members do their best." She smiled. "But as I said, none of them have your leadership ability." She paused for a moment. "There won't be any objections to your joining, Arisato." She smiled. "As you must have noticed, you're popular."

I nodded and faced the rooftop edge again. _Huh. I have to admit, all this attention is making me uneasy. I'm more content to be in the shadows and let the events unfold far from me._ **Like an evil mastermind, Master?** _Apsaras. _**What harm would it do? Besides, she **_**does**_** need your help.**I huffed mentally to Apsaras' chuckle.

"All right." I said, after a while. "I'd be happy to help, senpai."

"Thank you." she smiled. "I knew I could count on you. I already made arrangements with the Faculty Office."

"Why am I not surprised?" I smiled wryly. "I'll drop by on my way out."

"Drop by when you have the time." She turned to go. "I'll see you at the dorm."

I watched her go before I turned back to the rooftop edge. **This'll be fun. Won't it, Master?**

**Author's Note: **Hah! Hello people, it's me personaddict07. This is my first author's note since starting this fanfic. After a really long time of trying to find interesting P3 fanfics, I have found only a few who really do the game justice. (You know who you people are...) Do you think my version does the game justice? If you do then please, review. (Hmm... that rhymes...) Anyway, this 'note' is getting long so I'll just put in the team's status.

**Minato Arisato**: Lvl 7

**Yukari Takeba**: Lvl 6

**Junpei Iori**: Lvl 6

Minato's Personas

Orpheus: Lvl 5

Apsaras: Lvl 4

Pixie: Lvl 2

S-Links

Fool: Sees, Rank 2

Magician: Kenji, Rank 1

Emperor: Student Council, Rank 1

Chariot: Kendo Team, Rank 1


	9. Chapter 8: Elizabeth's Requests

_**Chapter Eight: Elizabeth's Requests**_

_April 27, 2009, After School_

_Student Council Room – Minato's POV_

MONDAY

"Everyone, this is Minato Arisato." Mitsuru-senpai introduced me in front of the council members. "He'll be joining us in the council."

One of the members sized me up."Minato-kun, huh..." He had long slightly gray hair and a stern face. "I'm Hidetoshi Odagiri, I supervise the Disciplinary Committee."

I nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Chihiro Fushimi, the Treasurer." A timid-looking girl with long hair and glasses said. "I'm a sophomore, and um... I'm still learning the ropes, so... please be patient with me, Minato-san."

"I'll be on my best behavior." I smiled at her.

"I certainly hope so." Hidetoshi laughed. "You must be talented if the President hand-picked you. I must give the rumors some credit, after all."

The world blinked white and a card floated on front of me again. The card had a regal looking figure on a purple background. "_Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou hast established a new bond... Thou shalt be blessed when creating Persona's of the Emperor Arcana..." _

"Minato-kun? Are you okay?" Chihiro asked me.

I blinked. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine." _Another one... hmm.. I'm on a roll!_

"Today, we'll just do introductions." Mitsuru-senpai said, drawing the attention back to her. "It'll be your job to help us, Arisato. From now on, you have my permission to enter the Student Council room whenever you need to."

I nodded. "Got it, senpai."

"That includes after school too." She continued. "We have meetings on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, but we don't meet before tests. Thank you for joining us today, Arisato." She said, effectively ending the discussion.

_Iwatodai Dorm, Evening_

Junpei greeted me when I got back to the dorm. "Yo! I heard Mitsuru-senpai asked you to join the Student Council!"

"You heard about that already?" I asked him. "The grapevine is as fast as usual I see." I muttered.

"Senpai, are you sure you wanna let this slacker in?" He asked Mitsuru who was reading a report of some sort.

She looked up from reading her report. "I need some assistance, that's all. I won't let the responsibilities stack up too high." Then she looked at Junpei with a smug look. "Are you interested in helping out, Iori?"

"U-uh no. I'll pass." He looked away. "But, thanks for the offer." I chuckled at Junpei's reaction and sat down beside him. After I got tired of reading my book, I excused myself and went to my room, studying the night away.

_May 1, 2009, Early Morning_

_Gekkoukan Entrance_

FRIDAY

The days passed by without incident. We spent most of the nights exploring Tartarus, eventually reaching the 16th floor. I spent the days either training or hanging out with Kenji. Amidst the busy schedule, I managed to squeeze in enough time to study and even established a Social Link while playing an Online game Junpei gave me.

"Hey, Minato-kun." Yukari fell in step beside me. "Morning."

"Good Morning." I greeted.

"Time passes quickly, huh? It's already May." She said.

"It's even faster for me." I pointed out. "I spent an entire week in coma after all."

Yukari looked down. "I hope we never see a shadow that strong again."

I nodded. "Yeah. But with our luck we might encounter an even stronger one tomorrow."

"Don't jinx things!" Yukari punched me on the arm. "Speaking of shadows, how's your shoulder?" The guardian shadow of the 14th floor, _Rampage Drive, _pinned me to a wall yesterday_. _

I shrugged. "I'm okay. It's still sore though."

"Do you want me to heal it?" She offered. I shook my head. "Nah, it's not worth the trouble. Been through worse without the power of Persona."

Yukari shrugged. "Suit yourself." Then she fell silent for a moment. "A lot's been happening lately. More and more people get affected by the Apathy Syndrome and we're the only ones who know what's really happening..."

"The only thing we can do is keep training." I said firmly. "I don't think Tartarus only consists of fifteen floors, so we should resume exploring when we find a way to get through that seal of some sort."

She nodded with a smile on her face. "Aye aye, leader!"

I laughed and shook my head. "You've got it wrong."

_After School_

_Just a normal school day, nice change. _I took a deep breath and stretched in my seat.

"Hey, man." Junpei slapped my desk. I glared at him , annoyed at being disturbed. "Did you hear, Akihiko-san's getting a checkup at the hospital."

"A checkup, huh?" I thought. "For a couple of broken ribs, I'm guessing it's his last."

Junpei ignored my comment. "He called me earlier, and asked me to bring him the class roster for 2-E." He beamed. "Oh, yeah! He at least knows who the reliable one is."

Before I could reply, Yukari butted in. "He only asked you coz you're the only who doesn't have anything to do after school." She said. _Man, talk about harsh._ I inwardly chuckled.

"H-hey, I resent that." He muttered. Yukari giggled. "I was just kidding, Junpei. What does he want the roster for?" Junpei shrugged. "Well, I don't have practice today, so I'll come with you."

Junpei blinked. "What? He asked me, remember?" Yukari ignored him and turned to me. "You're coming too, right?"

"Today's a Friday, which means Kendo practice and council meeting after that." I said. "So, sorry I'll pass."

Junpei blinked. "You're starting to sound like Mitsuru-senpai, man."

"Come on, now." Yukari urged. "Must be important, if he called Junpei all the way out to the hospital... Don't you think?" Junpei sighed. "Hey, I told you. He asked ME." Yukari ignored him. Again. "If it's important, we should all go together."

**Seems like you're being forced, Master.** _Duh._ **The male is right anyway, you are starting to sound like the female with the red hair. **I sighed inwardly. _Call them by their names. As my subconscious, you should know their names and thus, call them so. _**See what I mean?**

_Oh just shut up..._

"All right, fine. If you put it that way." I reluctantly agreed.

_Tatsumi Memorial Hospital_

"How many times do you think we'll visit this place?" I asked the other two after we found out Akihiko-senpai's room number.

"Not much?" Junpei offered. "Why d'ya ask?"

"No reason." I shrugged. "I mean, with the dangers we face at night and a Dia spell can't heal everything..."

Junpei laughed. "You worry too much. But I guess you're right. We just have to be careful then."

Yukari scoffed. "Careful? You?" Junpei glared at her. "I resent that!"

"Quiet!" I said, quietly but firmly. "We're in a hospital." Junpei and Yukari stopped their arguing long enough for us to reach Akihiko-senpai's room.

We came across an unfamiliar teenager in Akihiko-senpai's room. Senpai himself was nowhere to be found. The teenager was male and wore a beanie and a purple trench coat. He looked rough, obviously not someone you want to mess with. Junpei blinked. "Umm..." He cleared his throat. "Er.. is Akihiko-senpai...?"

The tough-looking teenager looked up. Noticing us for the first time. "Huh?"

Junpei managed a nervous grin and finished his sentence. "In this room? By any chance?" As if on cue, the boxer walked in. "What are all of you doing here?"

"We came to see you." Yukari blurted, her nervousness getting the better of her. "It doesn't look like anything's wrong with you."

"Should there be?" The boxer asked. "I'm just here for a checkup."

The teenager stood, drawing attention to himself. "Is that it, Aki?" He asked calmly. Senpai nodded. "Yeah, thanks." The teenager grunted. "Tch... I don't have time for this shit." He started to make his way to the dorm but he stopped in front of me. "You..." He said, looking at me. I looked at him square in the eyes as well. "Never mind..." He said and he walked out.

_What was that about?_** Hmm... He looked like he had some 'baggage', Master.** _Baggage indeed. _"Who was that?" I asked.

"A friend from school... sort of." The boxer said. "You know how the number of Apathy Syndrome has been increasing?" He paused. "Well, he knows a few people who are suffering from it, so I asked him about it." Senpai turned to Junpei. "Did you bring the roster?"

"Of course!" Junpei took the class roster from his pocket and gave it to the boxer. "Sorry for the trouble." Akihiko said. "Let's get going, guys!"

"Senpai! You shouldn't be moving your arm." Yukari said.

"It's nothing." He said. "I wasted too much time. I need to get back to training."

"By the way, senpai." I said. "Why did you choose boxing?"

"Well.." He thought for a moment. "It's not the sport itself I like; I just wanted to learn how to fight." _Learn how to fight..._ The boxer looked down. "I know what it's like to feel powerless..."

"Don't we all?" I muttered, looking away.

"And I don't want to feel that way again." Akihiko-senpai said with determination. "Sides' I'm curious to see how strong I can get. It's like a game, only I'm competing against myself."

Junpei scratched his chin. "That's an interesting way of looking at it." Then he smiled his mega-watt grin. "You _do_ know I'm into games too..."

"Yeah." Yukari and I said in unison. "Video Games." Junpei however was unfazed. "Oh, but I like fighting games too!"

_Iwatodai Dorm, Evening_

"Welcome back." Mitsuru greeted the three of us when we got back. "A long weekend is coming up so normally, I would suggest that we explore Tartarus."

"Yeah, but there's that seal..." I said, sitting down on one of the couches.

"But it may take some time for Akihiko to fully heal. And I _don't_ want anything like that to happen again." She pursued. "Besides, the number of victims keep on increasing. That sounds like a bad omen to me."

I nodded. "I suppose we can train on the lower levels for now." I turned to Junpei and Yukari with a smile on my face. "What about it guys? You up for some exploring?"

"Hell yeah!" Junpei said with a grin plastered on his face. Yukari agreed as well. I turned back to Mitsuru-senpai. "Guess there's your answer. We'll go to Tartarus tonight."

_Tartarus Entrance, Dark Hour_

"So we have to start over from the second floor?" Yukari asked as we prepared our equipment. "We can if you want to. But there's always the teleporter. I think it would be better if we start from a higher floor. Like maybe, 10th or 5th." I answered.

"Well, its all up to you, Arisato." Senpai interrupted. We resumed preparing our equipment. I decided to enter the Velvet Room and ask Elizabeth how she got my number.

_Velvet Room_

"I'm sorry to bother you." Elizabeth told me as I entered the room. "But I have a big favor to ask." I remained silent. "I have been looking for someone with exceptional strength. If you don't mind, will you accept my requests?" She asked. "Of course, once each request is completed, I will have a reward for you."

"Why not?" I interrupted.

Elizabeth beamed. "Then I anxiously await your cooperation."

I nodded. "More importantly, how did you get my number?"

She smiled coyly. "We all have our secrets, Minato." _That doesn't make me feel any better... _I decided to accept a request that asked me to 'retrieve the first old document'. _The first old document... I found that on the 16th floor._

Elizabeth gave me a Bead Chain as a reward. I decided to fuse Apsaras and Pixie together to create Nekomata. _I saw some Apsaras and Pixie cards lying around last time..._ Nekomata turned out to be some sort of cat-woman hybrid with a black mask on her face. _Was this the inspiration for 'Catwoman'?_

**I guess I have no choice but to protect you.** _Don't be like that. It'll be fun._ **Hmph. Just let me burn those things to ashes.**

6TH FLOOR

There were no shadows to confront us on the fifth floor so we quickly made it to the sixth. I decided to try Nekomata out as we encountered two cupids. _Show me what you got!_ "Nekomata!" I ordered the persona to cast an Agi at one cupid, killing it instantly. I saw the surprised looks of my teammates. "Don't let your guard down! Yukari, shoot it!" I ordered as the shadow shot an arrow aimed at Yukari.

Yukari dodged but was a second too late, the arrow grazing her arm. "You'll pay for that!" She yelled as she shot the shadow three times, ending its existence. Afterwards, she summoned Io and healed herself.

"Another Persona?" Junpei asked. I nodded. "Something tells me I wouldn't understand where you got it..." He said.

I blinked. "You're... right. I guess you wont." _After all, no one but me can see the Velvet Room door anyway... _Junpei shrugged. "You are special after all." I heard him mutter as he walked away. "Hey! Junpei?" I was confused by his reaction. _Did I say something?_

We explored Tartarus for a while longer reaching the eighth floor again. On the way, I managed to regain Apsaras and Pixie. _Wonder what persona I'll get if I fuse them again... _While exploring, we ran into a lone shadow called the _Grave Beetle_.

After senpai analyzed it, I found out that it was weak to Garu and strong against Zio attacks. "Yukari, spam it with Garu spells. Junpei stay out of its reach and focus on using Hermes!" I ordered them both. I dodged to the right as it attacked me with its huge horn. Then I ducked as it swung the horn around. Yukari who was just summoning Io, didn't see the horn in time however and she fell, her Evoker flying out of her grasp.

"I got your backs!" Junpei yelled as he ordered Hermes to burn the shadow with Agi spells. It was just enough for the dim-witted shadow to forget about us and focus on the fast flying Hermes. I summoned Pixie to heal Yukari then tossed her my Evoker. "End this, Yukari!"

She shot herself with my Evoker and sent a Garu spell towards the Beetle. The shadow saw it just in time and dodged its weakness. Unfortunately, Hermes was hit with the Garu spell instead, which was also Junpei's weakness.

"Argh!" He yelled. "Hey, who's side are you on?!"

"Sorry!" Yukari apologized. "Yukari, just focus on hitting the shadow!" I ordered as I ran towards what I thought was the direction where her Evoker landed, not hearing Junpei's protests. As I rounded a corner, I failed to see a _Magic Hand_ shadow charging towards me. The charging shadow hit me with such a force that it pinned me against the wall. I broke free of its grasp and shoved the sword into its face and found the Evoker at the edge of a corner.

"_Arisato, hurry! They are in trouble. Turn right at the next corner."_

I decided against answering her and just kept on running until I found them again. Junpei was unconscious and Yukari was battling the now weak shadow alone.

"Pixie!" I shot myself with Yukari's Evoker and healed her with a Dia. Then I ran to Junpei and gave him a Balm of Life. "All-Out-Attack!" I yelled, once Junpei was back on his feet. The three of us rushed at once attacking the shadow with our weapons. The shadow gave its death throes and disappeared.

I put my hands on my knees and took deep breaths, catching my breath after all that running. "I wanna go home!" Junpei moaned beside me. "Why'd you run away, man?"

"Run away?" I looked at him strangely. "I didn't run away, I ran to find Yukari's Evoker. Speaking of which, here." I gave Yukari her Evoker and she gave me mine. -As if it really mattered whose we use-

"Oh yeah?" He looked dubious. "Whatever,man. I just want to go home." Yukari picked up something on the ground. "Hey, wait. I found another card." Yukari gave me the card. _Angel huh? Saves me from fusing the persona..._ "Thanks." I said. "Great job, guys. Let's return for now." I didn't bother finding a teleporter and just used the Traesto Gem. We didn't talk much on our way back to the dorm.

_May 2, 2009, After School_

_Gekkoukan High_

SATURDAY

I found Chihiro outside the Student Council Room. I approached her, wanting to ask if there was a meeting today. "Oh, Minato-san..." She saw me. "C-can I help you?!" She nearly shouted.

_Maybe she isn't in the mood..._ "Never mind." I said.

"W-why are you talking to me then, if you have nothing to say?!" She exclaimed, the people in the corridor starting to look at us. I blinked, surprised at her behavior. _She's normally timid. Maybe she really isn't in the mood to talk._

Chihiro looked down, noticing the stares we were earning. "S-sorry about that..." she muttered. I excused myself before it got any worse. I walked down the hall and descended the stairs leading to the hallway near the clubs. I turned right to the corridor and remembered the old couple in the bookstore.

_This must be the Persimmon tree the couple must be talking about..._ I inspected the tree and found a leaf on the ground, I decided to take it and show it to the old couple the next time I see them again.

_Paulownia Mall_

I ended up at Paulownia Mall in my idle walking. I looked around the place and decided to see what Personas I can fuse in the Velvet room. There were none that I thought I needed at the time. I didn't want to lose Orpheus and Nekomata just yet.

As I looked through Elizabeth's requests I saw one that caught my eye. "Why would you want to visit Paulownia Mall?" I asked her.

"I'd taken an interest in your world." She smiled. "Especially the place where you let your passions flow!"

_Passions flow? Does she mean... Escapade? _"Can you escort me now?" Elizabeth asked me. She looked like a child so much that I was tempted to refuse, just to see her reaction.

_Can I? _**I don't see why not. **I heard a voice not unlike my own in my head. _Orpheus? It's your first time talking to me. _**I didn't have a reason to before, I just felt like it... A change of surroundings for her might be nice. **_True, wonder what it feels like to be in a room of never ending blue? _

I smiled. "Sure." I took her hand and led her outside.

BACK TO PAULOWNIA MALL

"Ahh, yes.. An intimate encounter with one of your world's rarities!" She was saying as we walked around. _She talks like an adult but she's as excited as a child..._ I couldn't help but smile. "The fountain?" I asked.

"Yes... the 'fountain'" She said. "It makes a sport of water, well known to all to be the fountain of life... How wicked!"

I cocked my head to the side. "What do you mean?"

She ignored me. "It's rumored that its enchanting nature grants wishes to those who sacrifice a few coins..."

"That's just a superstition, Elizabeth." I told her. She looked at me sharply. "...Is that so? Is it possible that the worth of the coins wasn't sufficient to pique the fountain spirit's interest...?"

"Fountain spirit?" I muttered. She nodded. "Fortunately, I anticipated this, and brought a good supply of coins. 2,000 of your 500-yen coins to be exact."

I did a quick mental calculation. "You brought one million yen here?" I asked, disbelief in my voice. "Oh, yes. It shall suffice as an opening bid." She took a bulging coin purse from who knows where.

Elizabeth poured the torrent of coins like a waterfall. I recovered from the shock just in time to stop her from pouring the entire content. "Elizabeth!"

"What's the matter?" Elizabeth asked. "What do you mean what's the matter?" I nearly yelled. "You just- just..." I smacked my forehead. "Ah. You must mean my wish!" She beamed.

"I was so caught up in the excitement that I forgot to think of a wish." She thought for a moment. "I shall give it more consideration before I come in the near future..." She walked away.

I stared at her retreating back as a crowd of people clawed the fountain in hopes of getting some of the money Elizabeth thrown away. I looked at the bag now in my hand. Judging from the weight it was more than half empty. I sighed and followed Elizabeth to the police station.

"What is this facility here?" She asked,peering inside. "There are some stern-looking men inside... and these photographs displayed so prominently..." She looked closer at the photos. "Most Wanted... Reward." She read. "Am I correct in thinking of these as your version of my subjugation requests?"

"No." I answered. "You don't kill them..."

Elizabeth nodded. "So they must be captured alive. You've sated my curiosity." She walked away in the direction of Escapade.

"What is this facility? It can't be... Is this... a club?!" She gasped. "Dancers, dictated by the sway of inner passions... A subterranean garden of uninhibited spectacle..." Elizabeth touched the signage at the door. "It's closed for business?.. Such a pity. I had hoped to join in on the wild ritual..." Refusing to be dissuaded, Elizabeth began an elaborate dance. "Wooooo."

"Elizabeth. What. Are. You. Doing." I stared at her. She chuckled. "That was quite statisfying. But this is all so overwhelming. Everywhere I look, something catches my eye."

I nodded. "This is very different from a big blue elevator, huh?"

"Oh yes. Very much!" She agreed. "Can you recommend our next activity?" I nodded and looked around._Either the Karaoke or the Arcade._

"How about the Arcade?" I offered. "This 'arcade'... I have heard of it before..." Elizabeth pondered. "It's the playground where one plays with electric fairies in exchange for magic tokens..." Then something caught her eye. Another fountain. "Would you mind waiting for a moment?"

"No no no!" I grabbed her arm. "You see in the arcade, they have this machine where you can control a bird in order to grab cute prizes! I'm sure the... er...fountain spirit would understand..." I led her to the arcade before she could unleash her torrent of coins...

We sat on the benches after we played in the arcade. Elizabeth used up all the money I stopped her from pouring into the fountain. She went to and fro, leaving one game machine before she even lost.

"Thank you for the wonderful time today. I experienced many invaluable things with you today." She thanked me. "I consider this mission fully accomplished." Elizabeth looked down but I could see the smile on her face. "T-this may sound forward, but I'd like to do this again sometime."

I laughed. "Only as long as you leave the bulging coin purse." We headed back to the Velvet Room. Elizabeth expressed her disappointment on Igor's refusal to turn the Velvet Room into a club. Elizabeth's reward made me able to fuse the persona, Hua Po. I accepted another request which involved obtaining a pine resin.

"You know, Igor. Making the Velvet Room a club won't be so bad." I told him on my way out. "It truly is better than a giant elevator."

_Iwatodai Dorm, Evening_

Once I got back, Mitsuru reminded us that we still had mid-terms coming up. I excused myself and went straight to my room. I decided to sleep early, confident that I studied enough to pass the test already. _Of course, just passing isn't enough..._

_Dark Hour_

I felt someone's presence as I slept, forcing me to wake up. "Hi, how have you been?" The mysterious boy from before asked.

"You again?" I moaned, putting my pillow over my head as I lied back down. "It's been a while, are you well? One week from now, there will be a full moon..." His voice turned grave. "Be careful. A new ordeal awaits you."

"Full moon?" I asked through the pillow. "Yes, on such days you will face your greatest challenges." The boy answered. "You must prepare for the ordeal. But remember, time is of the essence." He chuckled. "I'm sure you're aware of that, of course. Goodbye for now."

I felt his presence disappear. I removed the pillow from my face and huffed. _Nerve of that kid... Still he sounds like he knows what he's talking about..._ To tired to comprehend, I tried to go back to sleep but made a mental note to look into that 'full moon' thing...

_Golden Week – May 4, 2009_

_Iwatodai Dorm, Minato's Room_

MONDAY

I was woken up by the soft light streaming through my windows. "Haah..." I yawned as I stretched on my bed. Today was the first day of Golden Week, the last being tomorrow. Sweeping a lazy gaze through my room, my eyes stopped to where Demon's Bane leaned by the corner.

_I haven't really got a chance to use it since I got here... Unless you count that 'incident' on the roof._ I shook my head and sighed. _Hmm... but maybe I can get it fixed today. Not a bad idea since there's no school tomorrow too. _

_1__st__ floor, Lounge_

As I descended the stairs, I realized that the 1st floor of the dorm was unaturally quiet. It was almost peaceful with the soft light coming from the windows. No one was in sight and for once, the TV was turned off. "Hmm... I wonder where everybody is?" I murmured, as I craned my neck and looked around.

"Going somewhere, Arisato?"

"Gah!" I yelped. I turned around to see Mitsuru holding a cup (of tea, I presume), she was standing by the doorway to the kitchen. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" I said.

Mitsuru walked over to the couches and chuckled. "I hardly think that qualifies as 'sneaking up'." She laid the cup on the table and looked at me. "You seem pretty tense this morning, Arisato." She raised her eyebrows.

I sighed (inwardly, mind you.) _Leave it to a Kirijo to add all sorts of meanings to things._ "Not really." I shrugged. "I guess I'm just not used to the dorm being quiet."

"You can blame Iorifor that." She said as she picked up a book on the table and started reading.

I just stood there for a moment then decided to go the kitchen to avoid looking like an idiot.

_How on earth am I supposed to get my sword fixed now? With Miss Ice Queen reading in the Lounge, I can't get to the door with my sword without her asking all sorts of questions. _I opened the fridge absently and sighed. **And what's wrong with 'questions'? **Nekomata asked.

_Nothing. But if it's asked by miss Kirijo, then I'll be a little wary. Call me secretive if you wish but..._

**I wouldn't call you secretive, boy. I'd call you Paranoid.**

I scoffed. _Whatever. At any rate, I guess I won't be fixing the sword today..._

_May 6, 2009, After School_

_Student Council room_

WEDNESDAY

On Sunday, I decided to check out the TV shopping show people were talking about. I was tempted to turn the TV off when I heard the annoying song. I mean, what kind of shopping network has a song like that? But my curiosity took the better of me.

I ordered a Yawn B-Gone and 2 Muscle Drinks, but I ordered them to test the quality of the show's products rather than need. _You never know when a competitor might show up..._ Since mid-terms was coming up, I decided to study for the whole day.

Golden Week gave us the opportunity to have Monday and Tuesday off. On Monday, I decided to play the MMORPG Junpei gave me. I ran into Maya, the one who welcomed me into the game, while I was playing. At night, I asked Yukari if she knew where to find pine resin. Turned out that she had some pine resin in her room, she gave some to me, wondering what I would use it for.

Tuesday came and so did the things I ordered from Tanaka's show. The quality of their products seemed to be on par with those found in local stores. I hung out with Kenji for the entire day in the Iwatodai Strip Mall, talking about food and whatnot. When I got back to the dorm, I agreed to have a study session with Yukari. Hearing this, Junpei ran to the safe corners of his room before we could urge him to study with us.

Wednesday was unsurprisingly greeted with groans and moans. After classes, I decided to attend the council meeting to make up for my absence last Friday. The hours flew by as I worked with the other council members on tasks assigned to us. I was reading some papers when Hidetoshi started to talk to me.

"I'd like to hear your opinion on something." Hidetoshi was saying. "It's nothing serious, but... some students feel that the school uniforms should be abolished and they're recruiting supporters..."

"That's just ridiculous." I scoffed. "It's just a waste of time."

Hidetoshi smiled. "You're right. They think life without rules is freedom. Without rules, the whole system crumbles. They're mistaking selfishness for freedom." He paused. "Sorry, I may have overreacted."

"I hate people without common sense." Hidetoshi continued. "I just can't believe some of what they say sometimes..." He glanced at me. "I don't mean you of course. I just want you to understand where I'm coming from."

I nodded. "I hear you." Hidetoshi offered to clean up so I could go home once we finished our work. I politely refused and cleaned up with him.

_May 7, 2009, After School_

_Gekkoukan Gym_

THURSDAY

Kazushi and I were practicing along with the rest of the team. Kazushi was definitely on fire, shouting words of encouragement to the rest of the team. He and I were squaring off at the center of the Gym when he suddenly twitched.

"Dammit, y-you serious...!?" He exclaimed as he fell to the ground.

"Kazushi!" The rest of the Kendo team looked at him with concerned faces. The team captain, another teammate and I took Kazushi to the Nurse's Office despite his protests.

"Alright! Get back to training people!" I heard Yuko yell as we carried Kaz off.

_Nurse's Office_

"Anemia?" The captain asked. "C'mon Kaz, were counting on you to replace me next year." The other teammate agreed. "The big meet is next year, but don't push yourself too hard." I remained quiet, not wishing to join the bandwagon. _There's obviously something wrong with him. Chastising certainly won't help._

The captain sighed. "Minato, can you take him home?" I nodded as Kazushi muttered his apologies. I crossed my arms and glared at Kaz when the others left. "Spill it."

"W-what are you talking about?" He stammered. "I-I'm fine... The anemia's just acting up." I intensified the glare by a notch.

"C'mon man. It's just a dizzy spell..." He faltered and sighed. "Argh! I can't lie to you!" Kazushi looked down. "My knee hasn't felt right. Since that day you came to practice... No matter what I do, the pain won't go away. I tried to put medicines and ointments but they don't work."

"Kazushi. This could be serious." I told him. "Will it heal?"

"Of course. But, I can't afford to stop training, so I'll work through the pain!" He beamed. "Next year, there's a national competition. Participants will come from all over Japan. The regional meet pales in comparison. I have to win that meet! I can't afford to put my training on hold!" _Hearing him like this, you'd think he was taking lessons from Akihiko-senpai..._

Kazushi paused. "There are a lot of nosy people on the team, Minato. If they find out, they'll keep bugging me about it. Please, keep it a secret!'

"Alright. I'll keep at a secret, _for now._" Then I looked him in the eyes. "But if this gets worse, I'm going to stop you myself, okay?"

"Alright. Deal." He smiled. "Thanks man, I knew I could count on you. If I take it easy, I can make it home alone. So, don't worry about me."

"You won't listen to me anyway, no matter what I say." I smiled. I said goodbye to him and found Yuko by the shoe lockers. "Hey, Minato-kun. Is Kaz okay?"

I nodded. "He insisted he could go home by himself. But still..."

Yuko sighed. "He's so stubborn like that. But yeah, I think he can handle himself."

"Anyway, I'll see you at our next practice." I told her and walked away. "Er.. Minato-kun! Wait." Yuko called.

"Is there a problem?" I faced her. "Uh..." Yuko opened her mouth but no words came out, she blinked. "Um... Do you want to walk home together?" She blurted.

"Walk home?" I said. "Sure, why not?" Yuko let out a sigh of relief. "I-Is it okay if we stop somewhere along the way?" I shrugged.

_Paulownia Mall, Chagall Cafe_

The rich aroma of coffee filled the air as Yuko and I entered the Cafe. "It's tough being a team manager." Yuko complained. "You don't get any respect. The guys on the team all act like little kids."

"Sorry?" I said, not knowing what to say.

"Oh no, I didn't mean you and Kaz. But the rest all say 'Where's my towel?' or 'Can you wash this for me?'" She sighed. "I'm not their mother. But at least don't have to worry about gaining weight, since I'm always running around tending to them."

"But you enjoy it?" I asked.

"Oh yes, I enjoy being the team manager." Yuko laughed. "How about you?" I smiled. "I'm not a team manager."

"Silly. Being a member of the Kendo team!" I laughed. "Yeah, it's a lot of fun."

"That's good." She nodded. "I actually thought you might be bored, since you're so much better than everyone else... You've got your own style and you don't waste much energy."

I scratched the back of my neck. "I guess..."

"If you have any questions you can just ask Kaz or the captain." She paused. "I guess you can ask me too, since I'm the team manager."

The world flashed white again. Another card floated in front of me as the voice spoke. _Strength... __This is quite convenient... I wonder how many I can get?_ Yuko excused herself when she saw the time. After ordering a cup of Cappuccino, I went back to the dorm.

**Author's Note: **This is my longest chapter to date, 5672 words. Usually my chapters just take 3-4 thousand words. I'm not exactly happy with the ending of this chapter. Too bland. At this point, I'm not even sure what pairing I'll use, Yukari's is just too overused and I don't like Aigis as a GF. Which just leaves Mitsuru, Fuuka, Chihiro and Yuko. Elizabeth, Maiko and Ms. Toriumi are out of the question. But I might consider Elizabeth... Oh yeah, have you guys been wondering why Minato and the team keeps getting beat up by weak shadows(in the game)? That's because the fanfic is on HARD DIFFICULTY. Anyway, Please REVIEW!

Team Status 

**Minato Arisato**: Lvl 8

**Yukari Takeba**: Lvl 6

**Junpei Iori**: Lvl 6

Minato's Personas

Orpheus: Lvl 6

Apsaras: Lvl 5

Pixie: Lvl 5

Nekomata: Lvl 7

Angel: Lvl 4

S-Links

Fool: Sees, Rank 2

Magician: Kenji, Rank 2

Emperor: Student Council, Rank 2

Chariot: Kendo Team, Rank 3

Hermit: Maya, Rank 2

Strength: Yuko, Rank 1

**Author's Note: Wooh! Alright guys, this is my longest chapter yet with 6,000 words more or less. And for my effort, don't you think I deserve a Review? And this goes to the 'Read and Run' guys too. Tell me anything. Ask me anything (Related to the story) and constructive criticism is appreciated too. **

**Thanks for Reviewing! :D**


	10. Chapter 9: The Priestess

_**Chapter Nine: The Priestess**_

_May 8, 2009, After School_

_Student Council room – Minato's POV_

FRIDAY

I decided to go to Tartarus last night. Even though we had already reached the top, that wasn't an excuse to stop training. I pushed the team harder than before and I was already feeling the consequences. My left shoulder was sore from all the training, so I decided to attend the council meeting rather than practice Kendo.

Hidetoshi was talking to a teacher by the time I came in. "...Hidetoshi, I'm counting on you... for both our sakes." The teacher was saying. "Yes sir." Hidetoshi answered. I made way for the teacher as he left the room.

"Oh, Minato-san.." Chihiro noticed me.

"...Hey, what did he mean by "for both our sakes"? What's he talking about?" I heard a council member press Hidetoshi. "He just wants to create a better school environment, so he simply asked for help from an apt student." Hidetoshi glanced at me. "Just like how the president asked Minato-kun to join the council."

The SC member glared at the head of the Disciplinary committee. "You can't decide something like that without the President's permission!"

"What's going on?" I asked.

"S-someone found a cigarette butt in the boys' bathroom..." Chihiro answered me. "And that teacher wants us to look for the one who did it..." I couldn't resist smiling. _Ah, a little detective work eh?_

"Well someone broke the rules, and it's our responsibility to find out who." Hidetoshi declared. "Look, you have two choices. Either help out and prove you're trustworthy, or refuse and raise suspicion. We sure have to deal with a lot of B.S around here, don't we Minato-kun?" He smiled. "Now if you'll excuse me." Hidetoshi left the room.

"H-Hey! Don't ignore me! You teacher's pet!" The council member yelled and ran outside after Hidetoshi.

"Student Council members shouldn't be fighting like this..." Chihiro said in a hushed tone. "I think you better go get the President." I told her. She nodded, quite relieved to do something. "Okay."

I leaned against the wall and sighed. _There's not much I can do here... But I'll just wait until Chihiro and senpai returns. _After a while, the door opened presenting Mitsuru-senpai followed by Chihiro.

"Arisato, you're still here?" Senpai said when she saw me leaning against the wall. "Oh, I was just holding down the fort." I answered. "Is there something I can do to help?" Senpai chuckled at my weary tone. "No. You can go home, we can clean up here."

_Finally._ "Thanks." I said. And went back to the dorm.

_Minato's Room, Evening_

I made some small talk with Junpei and Yukari before goin up to my room. The former complained about our harsh training last night and the latter didn't attend Archery practice because of it. I apologized but reminded them about our responsibilities. But I was tired myself so I slept early.

_May 9, 2009, Dark Hour_

_Command Room – Third Person POV_

SATURDAY

Mitsuru was leaning on the console in front of her. Her hands punching buttons on its control panel. Penthesilea's power to scan shadows outside Tartarus was quite weak and she needed specialized equipment to scan with detail, since Penthesilea was more combat oriented. The council president did this often when the team didn't need her help in exploring Tartarus.

She rubbed her temples and sighed as the door opened and the school's boxing champ entered the room. "You're still at it?" Akihiko asked. "You should rest you know."

Mitsuru smiled at his concern. "You never know when the enemy might appear." Akihiko appeared puzzled. "But I thought you couldn't scan outside of Tartarus."

"To be honest, I lack the power..." She frowned. "Maybe this is the best Penthesilea can do in terms of data gathering." Then Mitsuru smiled. "Although, the power of Persona seems to be quite broader than we thought... Take Arisato, he can switch personas in the middle of battle. There's something special about his ability."

"It hasn't been that long since he awakened too. I have to admit, I was surprised at his power. But in the end it's up to him whether or not he can reach his full potential." Then the boxer realized what Mitsuru was trying to do. "But don't change the subject! We're talking about you here."

Mitsuru suddenly turned to the console, surprising Akihiko. "It's a Shadow!" Mitsuru punched in a complicated series of buttons. "But this isn't right..."

"What's wrong?" Akihiko asked, worried that another one of _those_ might show up.

"The reading's too big." Mitsuru frowned. "We've never encountered anything like..." She faltered. Remembering the night Minato first summoned his persona. "You mean it's one of those?" Akihiko exclaimed. Mitsuru nodded confirming his suspicions.

The boxer smiled. "Well then, this is gonna be fun." He walked over to a big red button and pressed it sending an alarm throughout the dorm. "That should wake up the others."

After a while, the three juniors burst through the command room's doors. Yukari and Junpei were still wearing their Pajamas. Minato, however slept in his school uniform. "What's going on?" The field leader asked with authority.

"We've detected a shadow outside Tartarus." Mitsuru answered. "We don't know for sure but we think it's another big one."

As the boxing champ listened to this, he noticed a weird similarity between Minato and Mitsuru. _The way they take control of the situation... It's like they were born to lead or something._

"We have to defeat any of them we find ASAP." Mitsuru explained. "Most people don't know the Dark Hour exists. But, if half of the city is destroyed, there will be a massive panic."

Junpei interpreted the complicated string of words in his own fashion. "You mean we have to kick some ass, right? Aww yeah! Count me in." Yukari sighed at his energy. Minato took no notice of this and ordered his fellow juniors to prepare themselves.

"Akihiko, you stay here and wait for the Chairman." Mitsuru told Akihiko as the juniors retreated to their rooms to prepare. Akihiko was taken aback. "A-Are you serious? I'm going!"

"You still need to recover. You'll just be a hindrance." Mitsuru harshly stated. She had no time for his stubbornness. Akihiko glared at her. "What?"

The redhead took a deep breath. "They'll fare better than you, in your current state." She explained, trying to calm the two of them down. "Have faith in them. They're ready."

Akihiko resigned. He had never been able to win an argument against Mitsuru. "Dammit..."

"Relax!" Junpei said, witnessing the argument. "I've got it covered!" Akihiko grumbled. "I guess I've got no choice... Minato, you're in charge."

"Him again?" Junpei's shoulder sagged. But he didn't really expect the leadership to change, he just didn't like hearing it. "We're counting on you." Mitsuru said. Akihiko nodded his approval at the field leader.

"Heh, looks like you're stuck playing leader again." Junpei said. "...Sucks to be you."

Akihiko turned to Mitsuru. "You should let them go first. You still need time to prepare, right?" The redhead agreed. "I'll meet you in front of the station."

"Got it." Minato said. "All right, guys. Let's go!"

_Iwatodai Station_

The three juniors waited by the stairs of the station. Junpei sat on the single spot where there wasn't any blood, Yukari was walking around in circles obviously getting impatient and Minato leaned on the railings of the stairs, his hands in his pockets.

"Where is she?" Yukari mumbled. "She'll be here soon." Junpei answered her. Yukari looked up and saw the full moon for the first time. "There's a full moon tonight... It looks even creepier during the Dark Hour."

Minato looked up as well. _Full moon... was this the 'ordeal' that kid was talking about? _He was distracted by the sound of a roaring engine.

"Huh? What the?" Junpei stood up, shocked at the sports motorcycle parking in front of them. The rider removed the helmet and underneath was the head of Mitsuru Kirijo. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Listen carefully. Tonight, I'll be providing support from here. Everything else is the same. The shadow is currently located inside a monorail, not that far from here. To get there the three of you must walk on tracks."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Junpei asked, forgetting that electronics don't work during the Dark Hour.

"Don't worry. Electronics don't work during the Dark Hour. Including the monorails."

"B-But your bike..." He said, flabbergasted.

"It's probably special." Minato interrupted. "C'mon let's go."

"If circumstances change, I'll inform you immediately." Mitsuru told them as they gathered their equipment.

MONORAIL TRACKS – MINATO'S POV

Yukari had just ended a transmission from senpai confirming that the monorail in front of us was indeed the one. "Oh yeah! Hermes is just beggin to be used." Junpei was brimming with enthusiasm as usual. No question how the Greek god of thieves and deliveries became his persona...

Yukari climbed up the ladder leading to the train door. Midway, she stopped as she noticed that the wind was ruffling her skirt. "D-DON'T LOOK UP!" She pressed her left hand to her skirt and glared down at the two of us.

_Too late..._ Junpei and I looked away, snickering. "What are you boys waiting for?" Yukari was definitely mad. "Get up here!" I suppressed the urge to say 'Yes ma'am.' as I climbed the ladder after Junpei.

Once we were all inside, I saw a lone coffin -a transmogrified human- at the end of the car we were in. I was just about to inspect further when I observed something. "Hey, we're not in a station, right?" I said. "Then why is the freakin' door open?"

As if on cue, the doors shut, almost crushing Junpei's fingers. "H-hey!" I was mentally kicking myself for not realizing it sooner. _You're supposed to be the heir to the family business, idiot! You shame your blood! ...Idiot!_

"What's wrong? What happened?" Senpai asked.

"The doors are shut tight!" I answered. "We're trapped inside."

"That must be the work of the Shadow. It must know you're there." Mitsuru-senpai stated. "Be ready for anything. Proceed with extreme caution."

"Got it..." Yukari trembled. "Tch." I muttered. "Let's proceed." We walked over to the next car but no shadows were in sight.

"What the heck? I don't see any shadows." Junpei said. _This is not good... I have a veery bad feeling about this. _We walked for a few steps more.

"It's so quiet, it's creepy..." Yukari muttered. I suddenly noticed a dark blob forming above us and I pulled them back. A shadow dropped in front of us, making the two of them gasp. I hefted my sword and was about to attack when the shadow turned around and drifted away into the car ahead.

"Hey, It's escaping! We gotta go after it." Junpei exclaimed. But I stopped him from chasing the shadow.

"Wait. The enemy is acting strangely." Senpai said through the connection.

"But if we don't go after it, we're gonna lose it!" He argued.

"We don't know what they are planning, Junpei." I stated. "It has to be a trap!" Junpei grumbled. "Who needs your advice?" He yelled. "We can beat that thing no prob! Hell, I'll do it myself!" Junpei shrugged my arm off and ran to the next car.

I was about to chase Junpei when the door closed after him, almost crushing me in between. "Behind you!" Mitsuru-senpai yelled. I looked behind me just in time to see two Shadows appearing out of nowhere.

"Argh! I knew it." I slashed one of them with my sword. Then Yukari finished it with an arrow. The other however aimed a Garu spell at me and I was unable to dodge the wind spell because of the cramped space.

"Minato-kun!" Yukari yelled. "I'm fine!" I said as I summoned Nekomata to finish the annoying shadow off. "This is just what the enemy wanted..." Yukari sighed.

"We don't have a choice. Let's go after him!" I said. "Arisato is right. You'll have to go after him or you'll be picked off one by one. He's only a few cars ahead." Yukari and I nodded to acknowledge this and ran after Junpei... Only to be stopped by three more shadows. In our pissed off state, the shadows stood no chance.

"He's not in this car either..." Yukari muttered. "Did you say something to piss him off, Minato-kun?" I shook my head. "I don't know. Maybe I should ask him when we find him."

A few cars later, we found him surrounded by three shadows. Junpei was obviously in trouble. Yukari and I rushed in to help him. "Yukari, heal Junpei. I'll take care of these pests." Once the shadows were defeated, Yukari chastised Junpei. "See, this is what happens when you don't listen." Then her voice turned soft. "So, are you okay?"

"O-Of course! I was just doing just fine..." Junpei continued his bravado act. "Excuse me!" Yukari exclaimed. I caught Yukari's eye and shook my head. She grumbled and glared at Junpei instead.

"Iori. I'm going to talk to you about this. Later." Mitsuru-senpai said through the connection. "For now, be careful. I don't detect any movement but stay alert." Any response from what she said was soon forgotten as the train lurched, making the three of us grab the nearest object to prevent ourselves from falling.

"Whoa! What the..? Why are we moving?" Junpei asked, forgetting his anger.

"Senpai?" I inquired, letting go of the pole I grabbed as Yukari let go of my arm. "It seems the monorail is under the enemy's control." Mitsuru stated.

"What do you mean 'it seems'?" Yukari exclaimed. The train lurched one more time as it gained speed. "This doesn't look good..." I muttered.

"If the three of you can't stop that thing, it'll crash into another train!" Senpai exclaimed through the connection.

"W-what?" Yukari was puzzled. "Oh no... You mean, the other train is not moving? What're we gonna do?" "What else can we do?" I exclaimed. "We just have to defeat that shadow!"

"Calm down and listen." said senpai. "I sense a strong presence in the front car. That must be the shadow. Defeat the shadow to stop the train!" As her transmission ended, three shadows dropped from above us.

"W-what kind of messed-up ride is this?" Junpei yelled. "We don't have time for this! Just keep on attacking!" I ordered.

"We don't have much time! Run!" Mitsuru-senpai yelled when the shadows were obliterated. We didn't hesitate to follow her orders and we ran to the next car. We encountered some more smaller shadows but we used our running momentum to our advantage, not stopping as we attacked the shadows. Once we reached the last car, I opened the door without hesitation... only to see the most disturbing shadow I have ever seen.

"There it is!" Junpei yelled then he faltered when he saw the disturbing sight. "W-What the heck? Is this the friggin' boss?"

The shadow had a form of a giant woman with legs spread wide. The right side of the body was entirely white as her left was entirely black while the hair was colored vice-versa. The shadow wore a red masquerade mask on its face and had a long cloth resembling a skirt over her legs. The upper body stood out in the open however, and two letters could be read on the shadow's breasts. A B on the left and an I on the right. The shadow kept taunting us with disturbing moans, sending shivers down my spine.

"We're in the front car; it has to be the one!" Yukari yelled. "Hurry!" Mitsuru-senpai said through the connection. "The train is only a few meters ahead!" _That's more than enough motivation!_ "Nekomata!" I shot myself with the Evoker. "Cleave!"

The shadow's size gave us an advantage, given the cramped space of the last car, it was unable to dodge our attacks. Junpei summoned Hermes and cleaved the shadow, making it sag. "All right! This is our chance." I yelled. "All-out-Attack!" The three of us rushed in, taking advantage as the shadow lowered it's guard.

Enraged, the shadow summoned a cloud of smoke in front of us. The smoke took form, revealing two _Muttering Tiaras_. "Where the heck did they come from?" Junpei exclaimed.

"Reinforcements? I have never heard of a shadow creating other shadows..." Senpai's voice could be heard through the connection. "No.. it summoned them. But there's no time to ponder it. You have 6 minutes left!"

I grimaced. "Senpai! Analyze the big one. Let us know what other tricks it has up it's sleeve!" I turned to the others. "Ignore the tiaras! Focus on the big shadow!" Which was harder said than done. But we had to defeat the shadow fast unless, we wanted to be the first casualties of the biggest train accident Iwatodai has ever known...

"I have finished analyzing. It's name is The Priestess." Mitsuru-senpai said. "It repels Ice and Light and Dark don't work. You have less than 5 minutes left!"

Then as if that wasn't bad enough, one of the tiaras casted a Dia over the Priestess. "What the hell?" I rarely cursed but this was really pissing me off. "Finish the small ones first! We can't let them heal the Priestess again!"

Junpei and Yukari complied, simultaneously casting Agi and Garu spells over the _Muttering Tiaras_, effectively defeating them. The Priestess however, took advantage in the shift of attention and called forth a spell. "Mabufu..." She said in a grave voice.

The three of us cried out in pain as shards of ice struck us, knocking us back. Junpei moaned. "I-I can't move!"

"Arisato, do something! Takeba and Iori are frozen!" Mitsuru-senpai said through the connection. I stood up and shook my head. "You have 3 minutes left!" _three... minutes. 3 minutes left before I die..._ My head was throbbing and my sword arm was pierced by ice shards. **Master... Don't give up. **_Apsaras... _**Take our Power, Master. **_Orpheus?... _

"Arisato!" Mitsuru-senpai was getting frantic. Her words were dulled by my headache though. "Do you hear me? You have THREE MINUTES LEFT!" I took my Evoker in my left hand and pressed it against my head. _Can I do it? Orpheus and Apsaras... Lend me your power! _"CADENZA!"

An unseen wind billowed my uniform as Orpheus and Apsaras materialized in front of me. Green light engulfed the three of us as I felt my strength returning and my head was getting clearer. I presumed the same was happening to Yukari and Junpei. "All right!" I yelled. "I have no intention of dying here! Give it all you got guys!"

We rushed in to attack the Priestess with renewed vigor. Time seemed to slow as managed to evade her attacks and strike with precision. "Yukari! The mask!" I ordered. "Attack the mask! If it's anything like the maya shadows in Tartarus, the mask is its weak point."

Yukari sent a volley of arrows aimed at the red mask. Three of them hit their point as Junpei and I attacked the lower body with our swords and personas. The Priestess moaned, unable to stop our onslaught. "All-out-attack!" I ordered. In the shadow's weakened state, it stood no chance.

I let out a sigh of relief as the shadow disappeared. The train lurched. We cringed as we realized that the train was still moving. "Why is the train still moving?" Yukari yelled. I ran over to the now exposed control panel.

"What are you waiting for? There's a train up ahead!" Mitsuru-senpai yelled. "You will crash in less than a minute!"

"Dammit!" Junpei cried. "I don't know how to stop this thing!"

I ignored them and just pulled the first lever that I saw. _Oh God. I don't want to die just yet!_ The monorail lurched again and I hit my head hard against the edge of the control panel.

"Aaaah!" Yukari and Junpei screamed as they fell down. The monorail stopped with an audible screech. "D-Did we s-stop?" Junpei asked as he sat up. "I-I think so..." Yukari sighed.

"Is everybody alright!" Mitsuru-senpai asked, her voice tense. "Yeah." I moaned clutching my head. "We're fine."

Yukari laughed feebly. "My knees are shaking..."

"Dude... I'm like drenched in sweat." Junpei sighed.

Mitsuru let out a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad you're safe... I'm sorry I couldn't do more on my end." She paused. "I don't detect any more shadows. You guys did a great job, so come on home."

The three of weren't in any hurry though. We sat there on the cold steel floor of the monorail, catching our breaths. "But how did you know which one was the brake, Minato-kun?"

"Huh?" I looked at her. "Oh, I just trusted my instincts."

"You saved me again." She smiled. "Thank you, Minato-kun."

"Ah, whatever." Junpei said. "Wanna grab a bite to eat? I'm freakin' hungry!" I laughed. "Who's up for some takeout pizza? My treat."

"Oh, me!" Junpei beamed.

"Men..." Yukari groaned. "But hey, I won't resist free pizza!" We laughed there on the cold monorail floor. "_Thou art I... And I am thou..." _said the voice inside my head. I ignored the droning voice.

"Let's go back." I said. "I'm sure they accept deliveries."

_Iwatodai Dorm_

_Command Room – Third person POV_

Akihiko and Ikutsuki impatiently waited for Mitsuru's next update. Or rather, Akihiko waited impatiently for Mitsuru's next update. Ikutsuki was almost giddy when he heard the news and he was not impatient at all.

Akihiko on the other hand, was worried sick. Mitsuru ended the last transmission immediately, which indicated that something has happened. In her last report, she had said that the train had been taken over by the shadow with the three juniors inside.

Akihiko was kicking himself mentally. _If only I was there... I could've... done something. I hate this! I hate feeling powerless! I kept on telling myself this would never happen again... not with what happened to Miki. _

A sudden beep on the console caught the men's attention. "_This is Mitsuru speaking." _Mitsuru's voice came through the console. "Akihiko here." Akihiko pressed a button on the control panel.

"_We've successfully completed the operation." _She was unable to keep the joy from her voice. "_The monorail didn't sustain any noticeable damage and the shadow was successfully exterminated."_

"Thank you, Mitsuru." The chairman said. "When I heard they'd hijacked a monorail, I feared the worst. Well done." Akihiko rolled his eyes. _Feared the worst, my foot. _Ikutsuki chuckled. "Now, I don't have to worry about tomorrow's headlines."

"_The team did a great job. Arisato is certainly showing his prowess as a leader."_ Mitsuru stated. "_He even managed to summon two personas in the heat of battle."_

"He what?" Akihiko exclaimed. "Damn... as if switching them isn't enough." Ikutsuki was just as surprised. "But what are the shadows up to? Taking over a monorail..." The boxer continued. "This is getting out of hand."

"I will look into the matter. Mitsuru I need you to give me details of this shadow and the first." Ikutsuki said.

"_Does this mean... it's begun?" _

"Let's not jump to any conclusions. We should study their behavior for any patterns or clues." The chairman mentioned. "We can't afford to be on the defensive all the time."

"_If I had more power, things wouldn't be so difficult for the others." _Mitsuru sighed.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Mitsuru." Akihiko scolded. "You're doing so much already." "That's right." The chairman agreed. "More importantly, do you have anything to drink, Akihiko?"

The boxer gave him a puzzled look. "Why do you look so tired, Ikutsuki-san?" He paused, looked outside then looked back to the chairman. "Wait, don't tell me the bike outside is yours!" Ikutsuki chuckled feebly. "I'm going to be really sore tomorrow... Ow, my back."

Akihiko scratched his silver hair. "We _do_ have drinks here, Ikutsuki-san but, its still the Dark Hour, so..."

_May 10, 2009, Early Morning_

_Minato's Room_

SUNDAY

Minato was having a nightmare. His head twitched, his breathing was shallow and sweat trickled down his neck. The bed he was now on was unruly due to the actions of its owner. From time to time, he muttered words made unintelligible due to his shallow breathing.

Images from a long unsolved car accident flashed through the field leader's head. _The eerie color of his surroundings... burning cars... water turning to blood... the sound of metal clashing against metal..._

"AH!" Minato gasped. He looked around him, shocked at the sudden change of surroundings. Minato leaned back against the wall, taking a deep breath. _That dream, huh? Didn't think I would... have it again. Serves me right for eating after a night of shadow extermination. _His phone rang beside him, bringing Minato out of his thoughts.

_What now?_ Minato irritably answered the phone. "What?" He was not in the mood to be polite.

"Hello?" said the voice on the phone. "Minato-kun, this is Elizabeth. I'm calling to inform you of a change in Tartarus." I remained silent. "I believe a path that was blocked is now open. I thought you would like to know."

"Thanks, Elizabeth." said Minato.

"I wish you a safe journey." She ended the call. Minato's nature would not allow him to dwell on bad memories when there was something more interesting to dwell on. _The path that was blocked is now open, huh? Interesting... Hmm but maybe now is not the right time... _

Minato groaned as he stood up. _I knew I would definitely feel this in the morning... _

_Lounge, Daytime_

Minato found the rest of SEES at the lounge. He guessed everyone just wanted to take it slow after last night. "I can't believe I'm still alive." Yukari told him as he sat down at the table.

"Yeah, me too." He replied.

"If you weren't there, we'd all be dead..." she smiled. "I guess I should thank you." "I really thought I was gonna die, man." Junpei joined our discussion. "You saved the day by pulling the brake! I'm so glad you were there, dude!"

"I couldn't have done it without you guys." Minato shook his head. "It was just a lucky guess, anyway. I hate to think what could've happened if I guessed wrong..."

Junpei stared at the leader. "Hey, don't put those images in my head, man! Life is wonderful, isn't it?" The juniors laughed. Then they looked up as they saw Mitsuru walking towards them. "I want to apologize." She looked down.

The three of them exchanged looks. Minato himself was quite puzzled. "What for, senpai?" It was Mitsuru's turn to be puzzled. "What do you mean? I-I wasn't strong enough last time, which resulted in a difficult situation."

"There's no need to apologize. You couldn't have known that the monorail was being possessed by the shadow." Minato stated. "You did your best. That's all we could ask for."

The council president smiled. "That's very kind of you. But even if you can forgive me, I don't think I can forgive myself. I promise to be stronger if there is a next time."

"Tell me about it." Junpei sighed. "Do ya think we'll face another one of those?"

"We'll never know... the only thing we can do is train." said Minato, earning him horrified stares from his fellow juniors and a puzzled one from Mitsuru.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" The field leader questioned. "I don't mean tonight!" Junpei and Yukari let out a sigh of relief. "Besides, I'm still sore after last night. So, even if you guys wanted to, you'd have to go by yourselves."

"But what about that blockade?" Yukari asked.

Minato hesitated. "Oh, I'm sure we'll find a way." _I can't tell them that the seal's gone. Sides' how can I even explain how I know that when they can't even see the Velvet Room door..._ "Tomorrow." He added just to make his point.

_Evening_

Minato had decided against going out since he wanted to rest. He went up to his room after talking idly with the other SEES members and spent the day chatting with Maya. The field leader was walking down the stairs when Junpei called him over. "Hey, man. Check out the news!"

The rest of the team, along with Ikutsuki, faced the TV in the lounge. "... near miss when the monorail overshot its mark." The newscaster was saying. "The last train, Anehazuru, failed to stop at the red light and went much farther than its stopping point. Police and the monorail management are still trying to determine what caused the incident."

The camera moved over to the Anehazuru. "Even though the train overshot its mark by over 2,000 feet, no one was injured. Monorail management are suspecting the train driver, and are holding him for questioning. In the meantime, they are promising to make every effort to reduce the monorail accident rate. For now, service on the Anehazuru car will continue as normal." The news report went over to other news.

"Man, I feel sorry for the driver." Junpei said. "Yeah. The people on the monorail must've been scared..." Yukari agreed. "It was so far off course after the Dark Hour ended. I bet they had no idea what happened to them."

"Yes." Mitsuru-senpai said. "But the general public considers the monorail incident an accident caused by human error. This could be quite damaging to the reputation of the monorail company. Even though it was still a Shadow that caused all the trouble, I still feel sorry for them."

Ikutsuki didn't seem to share the feelings of the others. "Oh yes. But what a difficult mission! I cannot believe what happened. Luckily, no one was hurt thanks to the three of you. You should be proud!"

"I suppose..." Minato muttered. Junpei however was elated at the praise. "I suppose? What's wrong with you, dude? We're freakin' heroes!"

Minato stared at his fellow junior. "Heroes?" He scoffed. "Not me. Heroes are prepared to die for others. I just did what I had to last night. Saving other people was just another factor."

Junpei was taken aback. "Uh, okay?"

"Even so, Minato-kun." Ikutsuki interrupted. "Your actions yesterday saved the lives of many. I think that's enough to call you a hero." Yet, the field leader was unconvinced and remained silent. _Whatever..._

Mitsuru decided to change the subject. "Furthermore, I want to talk to you about your actions last night, Iori." She turned to Junpei. "You openly ignored orders without reason. Your rashness and insubordination could have jeopardized the operation."

Junpei looked down. "Uh... sorry."

"An apology is not enough, Iori!" Mitsuru chastised. "Lives were in danger last night, including yours." The council president sighed. "Maybe a punishment would suffice..."

Junpei's mood darkened. "Punishment? Isn't that too much? This isn't kindergarten, Mitsuru." Akihiko interrupted.

The redhead did not like being interrupted. "As I have said, lives were in danger last night! And there's a reason we appointed a leader, Akihiko."

"That's right, senpai." Minato said. Junpei looked as if he was going to cry. _My own best friend deserts me..._ "And since I was in charge, the fault for any possible failure goes to me." He continued.

Junpei was shocked. _Eh? _Minato looked at him and smiled. "Junpei might have saved the day by doing what he did. If he hadn't chased that shadow, the three of us might have been trapped in one car as the train accelerated." He paused for dramatic effect. "Man, what a mess that would make."

Junpei smiled at the blue-haired junior. _Dang... Never thought of it like that. You're really sumthin' Arisato. _"You can't argue against that, Mitsuru." The boxer smiled.

The council president sighed with a smile. "All right." Mitsuru looked at the capped junior. "As long as Iori learns from his mistake." Junpei's vast reserves of energy returned. "Oh yeah! I got that, senpai. Geez, that made me hungry." He elbowed Minato. "Hey, do you want to treat me to some pizza again, pal?"

The field leader crossed his arms. "Maybe senpai should go ahead with that punishment she mentioned..."

"Hey! Don't be like that... you could've just said 'no'..." Junpei pouted.

**Author's Note: **Hello again. So in this chapter, The Priestess goes down. And I'm sorry if some of you got confused when the POVs changed. I just wanted to try it out. What do you guys like better? And how did this chapter go for you? For the people who read my fanfic, I would really appreciate it if you review. Tell me your suggestions, your comments, the things you don't like in my story... anything!

Team Status 

**Minato Arisato**: Lvl 10

**Yukari Takeba**: Lvl 9

**Junpei Iori**: Lvl 8

Minato's Personas

Orpheus: Lvl 7

Apsaras: Lvl 7

Pixie: Lvl 6

Nekomata: Lvl 8

Angel: Lvl 6

S-Links

Fool: Sees, Rank 3

Magician: Kenji, Rank 2

Emperor: Student Council, Rank 3

Chariot: Kendo Team, Rank 3

Hermit: Maya, Rank 3

Strength: Yuko, Rank 1


	11. Chapter 10: Just Another Day

_**Chapter Ten: Just another day...**_

_May 11, 2009, After School_

_Gekkoukan High – Minato's POV_

WEDNESDAY

I almost fell asleep in the middle of Mr. Ekoda's boring discussion. You'd think he and the Principal were twins separated at birth or something. Junpei, as expected, slept in his chair without a care in the world.

"Hey, Minato!" Kazushi approached. "You comin' to practice today? Ya need to get in some last minute practice before midterms, you know."

"Oh yeah, sure." I replied. "I... uh, need the exercise."

Kazushi tilted his head to the side and looked at me strangely. "What's wrong?" I asked him. He blinked. "Oh, uh I was just wondering why you have a bandage near your chin. Did you get in a fight or something?"

I sustained a cut near my chin when I hit my head against the monorail control panel the day before yesterday. Healing it with a Dia spell wasn't worth the bother, since I heal quickly anyway. "What? No. I just bumped my head into something..." _Bumped my head into something? Brilliant excuse..._

Kazushi shrugged. "I'll go on ahead, okay? You better not be late!" He said as he left the room.

"Bumped your head into something?" Yukari chuckled. "It was the best one I could think of! It's true anyway." I shrugged.

"If you say so." Yukari looked at the now snoring Junpei. "Are you going to wake him?"

"Maybe later." I said. "But of course, we can't be blamed if we _conveniently_ forgot, right?"

Junpei suddenly snapped awake. "That's just mean, dude!"

"Oh, you're awake?" I smiled. "I thought you were planning on playing tag with some shadows tonight." Yukari and I laughed at Junpei's horrified face.

"Ah, whatever." He pouted. "I'm gonna go home and watch TV!" He stood up quickly and walked out of the room.

"You think he's mad?" I asked.

"Mad? Probably not. At least now he'll think twice before sleeping in class."

I laughed. "I better get to practice now. See you at the dorm."

_May 12, 2009, Early Morning_

_Gekkoukan Entrance_

As usual, the members of the dorm left separately on their way to Gekkoukan. Since I took my time at the dorm, I ended up paying for it by taking the prime time train. Even with my headphones on, I wasn't able to ignore all of the people around me. I didn't bother stopping to hear the daily gossip when I reached the entrance.

"Hey, Minato-kun!" Someone tapped my shoulder to get my attention. It was Yukari.

I removed my headphones. "Sorry about that. Good morning, Yukari-san."

"That's okay." She smiled. "I'm kind of used to it now. Anyway, did you hear the news?" I shook my head. "Mitsuru-senpai said that there have been fewer cases of Apathy Syndrome the last few days." She continued. "She it's probably because we defeated that Shadow. Wouldn't that be great if it was true?"

"Seriously?" I smiled. "That would mean our efforts paid off."

Yukari laughed. "I think so, too. It was dangerous, but I'm glad we did it." Then she smirked at me. "Hey, I thought saving the people was _just another factor_?"

_Erk... Caught off guard. Honestly, Minato, you shame your family name. _"I uh..." I stammered. "It was. Saving my own hide took precedence of course, but it's like hitting two birds with one stone. No, wait. That's three birds."

"Okay okay, if you say so." Yukari laughed. "But we shouldn't get carried away, though. Midterms start next week after all. I just hope nothing like that happens again until midterms are over." We talked about other random things as we walked to our classroom, not noticing the stares we earned from other people.

_After School_

_Gekkoukan Gym_

After classes ended, I decided to attend Kendo practice while I could. The workout tired me but it was fun.

"Hey, Arisato-kun." One of the members approached me during our short break. "What's with the bandage on your chin? You get in a fight with someone?"

Another member overheard his comment and laughed. "Maybe he pissed Akihiko-senpai off. You guys live in the same dorm, right?"

I sighed. "I just bumped my head into something."

"Yeah. Akihiko's fist!" The first member joked.

The idle chatter was interrupted by a yell. "GET BACK TO WORK! We have to win the regionals this year so stand up and TRAIN!" Yuko shouted.

"Man, Yuko can be such a slave driver..."

The team continued with the harsh workout bolstered by Yuko's encouragement. _Hey, where's Kazushi? _The future team captain could not be seen anywhere. After practice, I decided to go home.

"Minato!" A voice yelled when I reached the school's front gate. It was Kazushi. "I-I was just goin to sneak into practice..."

"Where'd you go?" I asked.

"My mom kept bugging me, so...!" He seemed troubled. "I went to the hospital... after I told her about my knee, she insisted. She made me this appointment without telling me, so there was nothing I could do!"

"What did the results say?" I asked.

"Oh, I don't know!" I was taken aback by his reaction. "I-I appreciate your concern man, but... they took X-rays today, I'll know the results later. I have no idea why they didn't tell me today." He looked away. Then he glanced at me. "But hey! Don't tell anyone about this okay? Thanks."

Kazushi started to walk towards the school. Then he stopped. "Oh wait. Since you're here already, that means practice is over..." He sighed. "Might as well go home... See ya later, man." He walked away. I sighed as I stared at his retreating back. **What a predicament he's in, Master.** I heard a melodic voice say in my head. Angel.

**It's not that different from yours as well... If your Grandfather finds out about your activities here in Iwatodai, and with the Kirijo Group at that.** _He'll push me to finish my summoner training... Tch... _**Good luck with that, Master. **_Thanks... I'll just do my best to hide it from him then._

_May 13, 2009, Early Morning_

_Gekkoukan Entrance _

WEDNESDAY

"Did you hear the latest?" I heard a gossiping student near me. "Someone on the staff was hospitalized with some bad injuries. I heard the road suddenly collapsed, and the guy's car fell like, thirty feet or something."

The person the student was talking to gasped. "OMG! I never heard of anything like that before... Is this school haunted?" The other student nodded. "I know, right!... I think I should go to the nurse's office. I just felt a chill down my spine..."

I resisted the urge to laugh. "Hey! Listening to the daily rumors, huh?" Yukari tapped my shoulder. I smiled at the archer. "Why do you keep doing that? You keep appearing out of nowhere."

Yukari stuck her tongue out. "I don't appear out of nowhere! You just ignore everything around you when you have that on your ears." She pointed the headphones around my neck.

I just smiled and shrugged. "Okay, if you say so. And to answer your question, yes. I was listening to the daily rumors. They may not be a reliable source of info but it gives you an idea of what other people think."

The archer blinked. "Really? I never thought of them that way..."

"Of course, the speed at which they spread is annoying, too. Especially when the rumors aren't true." I shrugged. "In fact, some people are still congratulating me for beating Kazushi the day I joined Kendo..."

Yukari laughed. "Oh, people are just interested in you. Don't worry, though it'll fade soon enough."

"I hope so. I'm not comfortable with all this attention..." I muttered. The two of us looked up as the bell rang. "Oh, the bell rang. C'mon let's go."

_After School, _

_Student Council room_

I decided to attend the council meeting to make up for my rather long absence. I saw Chihiro as I entered the room, making me remember the awkward moment at the classroom corridor. _I wonder why she acted like that. Hmm.. At least she doesn't look mad now._

"Is Odagiri absent today?" The student council president asked in the middle of our work. I looked around the council room. Hidetoshi wasn't around.

"Um...no." Chihiro stammered. "I think he's busy..."

I resisted the urge to groan as I wondered about the reason Hidetoshi was 'busy'. I once saw him arguing with some male students at lunchtime. The council member just didn't know the meaning of 'being subtle'.

"Busy doing what?" Mitsuru-senpai asked. I scratched my mouth to prevent myself from laughing.

"Busy playing Private DICK." One council member said out loud. Mitsuru-senpai blinked for a moment then she got the joke."Oh.. You mean what Fushimi was telling me earlier... I see. Well his intentions are good, so you can't really blame him."

She tried defending the Disciplinary committee member. "But I understand how you feel." Then she turned to me. "Arisato, you can go if you like. I don't mind... Sorry for all the drama." I decided to leave the council room since there wasn't much more work to do.

"So where's your EVIDENCE, smart guy!" I heard some yell around a corridor on the first floor. I ran towards the commotion to see what it was all about.

"There's no need for evidence. I know all about you. You were arrested for beating up a guy in the park who snitched on you, right?" Hidetoshi was saying as I arrived. Some students who gathered to see what all the shouting was about muttered.

"Whoa! He's at it AGAIN! That's the third guy he's accused today!"

_THIRD? *sigh* Hidetoshi... I know you mean well, but can't you wait until people lower their guard?_

"My boyfriend was so pissed he was accused, too. This guy's really asking for it." Another muttered. I tried to push through the multitude of students watching.

"Keeping quiet will not do you any good." Hidetoshi said. "If it's not you, then give me some names. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. You have my word as a member of the Disciplinary committee."

… _Are you serious? Maybe you won't, Hidetoshi. But with this much people around, the names will spread like wildfire. *sigh* I really have to tell you what 'subtle' means sometime._

"Shut up, asshole!" The accused student yelled, clenching his fist. I tried to make my way to them when the student drew his hand back. But he punched Hidetoshi before I was able to stop him.

"Hey! Cut it out!" I yelled before the student could hurt Hidetoshi further. I knelt beside him, his lip was bleeding. The punk walked away when he saw me.

"Tch! Don't think I'll just let this go!" Hidetoshi exclaimed. "Minato-kun.." He stood up, touching his cut lip. "You look like you want to say something."

"Hidetoshi, you need to lighten up."

He frowned. "... You think so?" Hidetoshi looked dubious. "Some people will lie and backstab you without hesitation if it's to their advantage. People like that are a menace to society. We shouldn't tolerate that kind of behavior, Minato-kun. As student council members, we should do something about it."

I remained silent, sensing that Hidetoshi had more to say. Most of the students gathered earlier had left already, seeing that the action was done. Some persistent ones remained though so I glared at them. They left quickly, getting the message.

"I know what people think of me." Hidetoshi looked away. "But those who carry out justice have always clashed with others. History has proven this to be true. So, let this serve as a warning to other offenders." He looked at me. "Minato-kun, you're a sensible person... You understand, don't you?"

I nodded. "You should do something about that lip, too."

He shook his head. "I'm going to get back to business. You should go home before it gets dark."

I sighed. "Hidetoshi..." The council member shook his head. "Don't worry, this is just ordinary paper work." Heeding his advice, I decided to get back to the dorm before it got dark.

_Iwatodai Dorm, Evening_

"I'm tired of studying!" Junpei disturbed the silence in the Lounge.

"How can you be tired of something you haven't even started?" I asked without looking up from my Math book.

"Whaat? Oh, this can wait for later! Let's go to Tartarus, leader!" Junpei pleaded. I looked up from the book I was holding. "I'll think about it."

"Haha! I knew I could count on you!" He laughed. "You're comin' too, right Yuka-tan?"

"We DO have exams next week, Junpei." She started, then she put the book she was holding on the table. "But heck, I'll go."

Junpei was ecstatic. "Oh yeah! Now were talkin'!" Then he saw me picking up a different book. "Wha- Hey! I thought you said we were gonna go to Tartarus."

"I actually said I'll think about it." I calmly replied. "But have you forgotten Junpei, that Tartarus appears only during the Dark Hour? We still have some more time until midnight."

Junpei's shoulders sagged. "Seriously...? Geez... You're such a workaholic."

_Tartarus, Dark Hour_

16TH FLOOR

There was some light surrounding the stairs but I was most surprised to see that the seal was still there. _Elizabeth said this was supposed to be gone..._

"Will we still have to continue from the lower floors?" Yukari asked me as I inspected the seal. I touched the stone-like ball on the top of the silver pole. It crumbled at my touch. "Oops." I said on impulse.

"Oh, I guess that answers my question." Yukari said. "Are you serious? It didn't crumble before... Eh, whatever. Let's just go!" Junpei exclaimed.

17TH FLOOR

"_Something seems different."_ Mitsuru-senpai said through the connection. _"Be careful. I'll try to see what's up ahead. Hold on..." _After a moment she contacted us again. "_Sorry. I'm experiencing difficulties, probably because of the distance involved. I need more time. I'll contact you again." _

The three of us wandered around the new surroundings. Yukari even commented how creepy the purple faces on the walls looked like. The chessboard floor we encountered on the first block was gone. In its place was a floor made up of eerie designs. If anything was notable besides the overall purple theme of the block, it was the blood. There was more blood around than ever before.

"Shadows!" Junpei exclaimed as he saw two shadows around one corner. They looked like _Muttering Tiaras... _then the infuriating shadows launched a multi-target version of Agi on the three of us.

"Another multi-targeting spell?" I muttered. "And it's harder to dodge too. Senpai! Can you analyze?"

"_Roger. I'll attempt to analyze the enemy."_

"Yukari, heal us. Junpei, forget about using Hermes' Agi spells. Judging from their attack, they look like they can play with fire." I ordered as I summoned Angel to launch a Garu spell on one of them. Junpei finished the one I attacked with a Cleave from Hermes.

"_Their weakness is Ice. And as Arisato guessed, they nullify fire attacks. The shadows are called Grieving Tiaras. They look like the Muttering Tiaras we previously encountered, but if you look closely, you can see that their... tiaras are brighter."_

"Alright. Thanks senpai." I said and I shifted to Apsaras in my mind. "Bufu!" I shot myself with the Evoker and summoned Apsaras to finish the last shadow off. Once it was defeated, I asked Yukari to heal us before continuing.

"The shadows here seem stronger than before." Yukari observed.

"Well, since the scenery changed at this part of Tartarus, I guess it would be safe to presume that the shadows changed too." I replied before giving the order to advance. The three of us encountered more of the _Grieving Tiaras_ around another corner.

"Hermes!" Junpei ordered his persona to cleave the nearest one to him. The shadow dissipated. Before the other two could react, Hermes cleaved another and the last one after that. "Oh yeah! Who's the man?" He posed as the shadows disappeared.

"Great going, Junpei!" I complimented him. "Let's get a feel for this place. I have a feeling those Tiaras aren't the only bad boys in town."

True enough, we encountered different shadows on the 18th and 19th floors. On the nineteenth floor, we encountered two of the shadows Mitsuru-senpai dubbed as the _Soul Dancer._ At a first glance, we thought that we were facing four of them. But on closer inspection, the _Soul Dancer_ had two bodies with a floating heart for a head.

One of the bodies were dressed in a white Tuxedo, and the other was wearing a red gown. _Hence, Soul Dancer, huh? Wonder where senpai gets these names from...? _They were no match for the three of us however.

We had some trouble fighting two shadows called _Phantom Mage_. The trouble started when one of them casted a spell and Yukari suddenly fell, unconscious. "Yukari! Senpai, what happened?" I asked.

"_She was hit by Mudo, a dark spell. Takeba was unable to dodge the dark spell so she fell unconscious. That is what happens when you get hit by Mudo or Hama, a light spell."_ Mitsuru-senpai informed me. "_I apologize for not telling you this sooner, Arisato."_

"Don't worry about it, senpai." I muttered as I looked around me. "Junpei! Did you hear that? Do all you can to avoid those dark spells!" I rushed forward, careful to avoid any dark panels suddenly appearing. One of the _Phantom Mage_s swept around me, dodging my downward slash.

I turned to block its advance from behind and hefted my blade up for a counterattack. The shadow screamed and flew away. I was wondering why when Junpei called me. "Under you!" A dark spell was nearly finished around me. I sprinted outside the spell's range.

_That was close... I can't attack them with my sword because the other will cast a dark spell if I stay in one spot for too long._ _Wait... what about if we moved faster?_ "CADENZA!" Orpheus and Apsaras flew around Junpei and me, healing us and making me feel quicker, I presume Junpei was too.

I dodged all the dark spells aimed at me and shoved the Gladius in the shadow's mask. Junpei did the same with the other. "Awright! We totally kicked their butts! That Mudo thing was a hassle though." I didn't respond and walked over to where Yukari was lying and knelt.

"Uh, hey. What're you doing?" Junpei asked. "She isn't sleeping beauty, you know. So kissin her won't work."

_W-What? _I blinked. "Just stand on guard, Junpei." I rummaged in my pockets before finding what I was looking for. I pulled Yukari's chin slightly, opening her mouth. "I told you man. Kissin' her wont do anything." I looked up too see Junpei looking over my shoulder. I sighed. "Junpei! I told you to stand on guard. And FYI I'm not going to do anything but put this Revival Bead in her mouth."

He chuckled his pervy laugh. "Sure..." I rolled my eyes. I put the Revival Bead inside Yukari's mouth before Junpei could say anymore. _She __does__ look cute when she's sleeping... or unconscious for that matter..._

**Developing crushes are we, Master? **Apsaras blurted in my mind. _Not you too. _**I think it's kind of cute, Master. It's a sign of maturity!**_ Kind of... cute? I am anything but cute! _Apsaras' childish laugh rang in my mind. _Shut up, or else I'll fuse you when I stop by the Velvet Room later._ **Aw, but it's so fun being with you... And I get to fight too! **_Then stay quiet._

"M-Minato-kun?" Yukari muttered. "Why- why do you look mad?"

_Has she been looking at me the entire time? _I blinked. "Mad? I uh.. Just some annoying things in my brain." I tapped my forehead and stood up. "Heey! You lovebirds over there!" Junpei's yelled. I looked behind me and saw that he wasn't there. I saw him at the end of the hall we were in. "What the heck are you doing over there? I asked you to-"

"I know, I know. Stand on guard." He imitated my tone. "I just decided to give you guys some privacy. But there's a teleporter here too!" He pointed towards a part I couldn't see from my position.

"Privacy?" Yukari asked. I sighed and shook my head. "Don't mind him." I helped her up. "He just saw me giving you a Revival Bead."

I looked away as Yukari brushed dust off her skirt. "Revival Bead? Oh, I remember being hit with that dark spell." I nodded. "You went unconscious. Senpai says that's what happens when you get hit by that." I looked at where Junpei stood a while ago. "Are you okay, now?"

She nodded. "Yeah, thanks. We better go, or else who knows what Junpei might think." I sighed as we made our way to the teleporter. I saw the blue door of the Velvet Room once Yukari and I reached the Tartarus entrance.

Yukari promised vengeance on Junpei for leaving the two of us alone. Turns out that once he pointed the teleporter to us he jumped back to the entrance singing wedding tunes. Mitsuru-senpai ignored him however. After some deliberation, I decided against entering the blue door thinking I could always enter it at the Paulownia Mall.

_May 14, 2009, After School_

_Gekkoukan High_

THURSDAY

I walked around the second floor corridor idly, listening to 'Burn My Dread' on my headphones. I saw Chihiro outside the council room. Wanting to clear up the 'awkward' moment last time, I approached her.

"Minato-san... Um...About the other day..." The treasurer stammered. "I just sort of overreacted. And I err... I just wanted to say sorry. I-I get really nervous when I'm uh around people... especially boys."

… _Hmm. _I remained silent. "I-I know it's bad, Minato-kun. But I- I just can't help it..." She continued to stammer.

"But I'm male." I said, just to break the silence.

"I-I know! T-that's why I'm so nervous now..." She sighed. "Sorry, I wont be a very good Student Council member if I'm like this ... I have to try harder to overcome this phobia." She smiled and started to walk away.

I saw Kenji walk out of our classroom. "Hey, Minato! You pickin' up girls?" He asked once Chihiro was out of earshot. "You Don Juan, you! And I thought you liked Yukari."

"She's the student council treasurer." I sighed deeply. "As a fellow council member, I thought it wouldn't be too bad to get to know her. And how many times do I have to repeat? Yukari and I just live in the same dorm."

"Ah, whatever. C'mon let's go to Hagakure." He urged. I decided to come with him since I had nothing better to do.

_Hagakure Ramen_

"I'm so sick of this, dude." Kenji exclaimed as we were eating ramen.

"What, life?"

He laughed. "Life? You watch way too much reality TV... But yeah. I guess you can say I'm sick of life. I mean, wake up, go to school, listen to boring lectures, go home, eat ,watch TV, go to sleep..." He numerated his daily routine. Then he slammed the now empty bowl on the table.

"That settles it! I'm gonna get myself a girlfriend, Minato!"

"Good luck with that." _You're gonna need it._

"Thanks, dude! Soon, I'll have a girlfriend, just like you!" He exclaimed, getting excited. I just rolled my eyes. "What makes you think I have one?" I muttered.

"I'm gonna go ahead with my secret plan, dude." He said in a low voice. "I told you right? I'm gonna go for a teacher. Ask her out and make her fall in love with me. Her name is Ms. Kanou, she teaches 12 grade ethics. I'm totally acing her class." Kenji was really hyped and went on and on about the teacher's finer points. "Don't tell anyone, okay? You're the only one who knows."

Kenji laughed. "I'm so excited. I gotta go home and devise a plan of attack!" He stood up and practically ran out of the restaurant. _He forgot to pay again... Geez. Luckily, the ramen here is cheap._

_Iwatodai Dorm, Evening_

Junpei pestered me to go to Tartarus again. "You can study any time! We have to get stronger ASAP."

"We just went yesterday, Junpei. Hit the books." I sat on the couch opposite the council president. Junpei groaned. "Gimme a break..."

"How are your grades, Iori?" Mitsuru-senpai asked the bummed out junior.

"How are yours?" He started, then he remembered who he was talking to. "N-Never mind. I already know."

Senpai didn't even look up. "I'm currently studying college-level material, for your information." I snickered under my breath.

"Man, now I don't fell like doing anything at all." Junpei groaned.

I just grinned as I took out my own book and notes. _Joining SEES seems like a good decision after all. Sure, there's the constant threat of danger but being who I am, it's nothing new. Besides, the company more than makes up for the threat..._

_May 15, 2009, Evening_

_Iwatodai Dorm_

FRIDAY

I sat on one of the couches along with the rest of SEES. I sat beside Yukari. Junpei and Akihiko-senpai sat together on the one facing us and Mitsuru-senpai sat on the lone couch on my right. Of us five, Junpei was the only one reading a manga book.

"What does 'pan' mean again?" Yukari asked.

"Bread." I replied. Yukari thanked me.

"Hey, Mitsuru." The boxer caught senpai's attention. "What happens when you solve this, again?" The council president leaned over and scanned the boxer's calculations. "Hmm... You forgot to transpose this to the other side, Akihiko."

"Oh, right. I was wondering why it didn't add up. Thanks."

Junpei sighed audibly. None of us paid any attention to him. _Is he really that lazy?_ "Hey Junpei, you wanna go to Tartarus, tonight?" I asked, just to lure him out.

The capped junior beamed. "Hell yeah!"

"Oh yeah, I'm sure we could go." I said, before Mitsuru-senpai could object. I glanced at her, signaling her to stay quiet. "But there's just this one thing I keep forgetting."

Junpei protested. "I just don't know how fast the earth spins." I lied. "If you can tell me, then..." The capped junior's shoulders sagged. "Oh, how fast does the earth spin, Yuka-tan?"

Yukari got my drift. "I was going to ask Minato-kun. But seems like he doesn't know either."

Junpei groaned. "Akihiko-san?" The boxer shook his head. Junpei looked at the council president. "Senpai! You should know. You're studying college-level doodah aren't ya?"

Mitsuru-senpai chuckled. "I must have missed that. What about you, Iori?"

"Whaa... Why are you askin' me?" He exclaimed. "I-I don't know. Minato! Why don't you just look at the book?"

I shrugged. "It's gonna take time. I'm a slow searcher, you know." I lied. "And coz' of that, we can't go to Tartarus."

Junpei thought for a moment. "Argh! Fine, I'll do it." He stood up, took his book and went up his room.

"That was kind of mean, Minato-kun." Yukari said, after a while. "But at least, Junpei gets to open his book. So, how fast does the earth spin?"

"Faster than sound." I replied. "Around 1,700 km/s. If he just tried to stay awake in class, Junpei could have known that..."

_**Author's Note:**_ Okay, let's sum it up. This chapter isn't my best. But I had to close the gap between the midterms. And it's part of the story after all... Please REVIEW! And the next chapter is entirely third person POV. Midterms are up next chapter!

Team Status 

**Minato Arisato**: Lvl 12

**Yukari Takeba**: Lvl 11

**Junpei Iori**: Lvl 11

Minato's Personas

Orpheus: Lvl 8

Apsaras: Lvl 8

Pixie: Lvl 8

Nekomata: Lvl 9

Angel: Lvl 8

S-Links

Fool: Sees, Rank 3

Magician: Kenji, Rank 3

Emperor: Student Council, Rank 4

Chariot: Kendo Team, Rank 4

Hermit: Maya, Rank 3

Strength: Yuko, Rank 1


	12. Chapter 11: Midterms how fun

_**Chapter Eleven: Midterms... How fun.**_

_May 16, 2009, After School_

_Velvet Room – Third Person POV_

SATURDAY

Minato blinked in shock as he entered the Velvet Room through the Paulownia Mall. The huge blue elevator with a small table in the center was gone... In the blue elevator's stead, now stood what seemed to be a blue hued club room. Igor's small circular table was replaced by a bigger circular table draped with an elegant table cloth.

Red hued lights waved to and fro around the blue hued club room, giving it a purple appearance. Familiar music reached Minato's ears, it took him a moment to realize that it was the same tune from the Velvet Room.

"Minato-kun! Isn't it fun!" Another familiar voice reached the field leader's ears. Elizabeth approached him, thankfully still wearing the blue suit she normally wore.

"E-Elizabeth?" Minato stammered. Which was a rare occasion. "Where am I? Where are we?"

The Velvet Room resident chuckled at the guest's surprise. "We are inside the Velvet Room. Quite a surprise, is it not? And it's all thanks to you!"

"Thanks to me? I don't get it."

"You told the master that you would prefer a club over a blue elevator, correct?"

"But I didn't think he'd really do it!" Minato exclaimed. "Where is he, anyway?"

"The master is away on other business. So I'm afraid you won't be able to fuse today." Elizabeth said. "But have you seen your new seat?" She pointed to a seat Minato failed to notice. The seat was elegantly made, just like the first. But instead of a lyre, it had a soft material as its backrest. The lyre was elegantly stitched onto the material instead.

"But I am glad you are here, because I have something important to say." Elizabeth said, catching the junior's attention. He remained silent and motioned for her to continue.

"I have been asked to inform you of the Persona Compendium. You may register any of your Personas in this book." She said, patting a fat brown book on Igor's new table. "And for a fee, withdraw them at any time. Don't hesitate to ask me when you wish to use the Compendium."

"That's convenient." Minato stated. "But seeing the Velvet Room like this is a shock." He smiled at Elizabeth and looked at her requests. Unfortunately, he was unable to see any to his liking and left the Velvet Room, still shaking his head. _The Velvet Room is now a mini-version of Escapade..._

Since he was in the vicinity, the field leader decided to check if Officer Kurosawa had any new weapons. He decided to order a Saber, Bulletproof Suit and Inline Skates for himself. A Siren's Song for Yukari and a Great Sword for Junpei. Afterwards, he decided to visit the BookWorms used book store.

_BookWorms Used Bookstore_

"Welcome to BookWorms." The old man beside the counter said. Then he noticed the Persimmon tree leaf Minato took some time ago. The junior decided to give to the old man, since he can always get another for a bookmark. "Oh! Is this a leaf from the Persimmon tree? It must have grown quite a bit to produce such splendid leaves.."

The old man glanced at Minato. "You didn't come here just to buy books did you? You came here just to show us this?"

"Um..no." The junior said. But the old man was adamant and showered Minato with praise. "I've been meaning to go see that tree for a while now, but I'm sure if these stumpy old legs of mine will make it that far." The old man waited for a reaction. When he got none he decided to explain. "That was a pun, you know. 'stumpy' old legs... Tree 'stump'. Catch my drift?"

"Very clever, dear." The old woman behind the counter complimented. "My name is Mitsuko, young man. And this is my husband, Bunkichi." She introduced.

"If you don't mind, may we know your name?" Bunkichi, the old man asked the junior.

"My name is Minato Arisato, sir." The junior smiled.

"Sir?" Bunkichi laughed. "Son, you sound even older than we do. Your name is Minato Arisato..." He thought for a moment. "Then we'll call you Minato-chan from now on!"

Minato was taken aback. _Minato-chan? Thank goodness no one's here to hear that. _The world blinked white again, a phenomenon Minato was used to now. "_Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou hast established a new bond..." _The voice in his head droned.

_Hierophant? That's new. _After some searching and chatting with the old couple, Minato failed to find a book that interested him. The old couple didn't mind however and told Minato to visit them if he ever got bored.

"I will, Mitsuko-san." The field leader said and bade farewell to the old couple.

_May 17, 2009, Daytime_

_Minato's Room_

SUNDAY

"_I'm running a lil late! I'll brt, k? ^^;;_" Went up on Minato's chatbox as he was playing Innocent Sin Online. It was a message from Maya.

"_I w4s 0n the ph0ne w/ my m0m. =/ wh3n3v3r w3 t4lk, its 4lw4ys the s4m3... ugh. It's like 4ll sh3 c4r3s 4b0ut is m4rry1ng m3 2 sum dude."_ Maya typed in her weired computer talk.

"_Don't you wanna get married?" _Minato typed.

"_Eventually! But n0t t1ll i'm l1k3 40. -_-_#" Maya's avatar jumped up and down. "_I mean, WTF! Every0ne 4cts l1ke a girl h4s to g3t married 2 be happy. It's s3xist 2 think women can only be h4ppy wh3n they're t13d down. -_-_#" Maya's avatar sat down on Lunarvale's floor. "_The other nite, I g0t a lil drunky n I kinda passed 0ut Paulownia M..."_

_Paulownia M...? Maya lives in Iwatodai? Weird..._

"_this old dud3 says, 'you think men want drunk sluts like you?' I t0ld h1m to STFU! =_(_"_ Her avatar jumped up and down again. "_OTL... sry, kinda got off topic, I guess im a lil tired. =_= But I feel better thanks 2 u Tatsu!"_

Maya's avatar sent Minato's avatar a healing potion. But it had no effect since Tatsuya's hp was full. "_er... anyway, I was trying to say tnx 4 listening 2 my bitching ;P"_ She signed off after she told Minato about the old man she was saying that hanged out around Paulownia Mall at night.

_Hmm... so she does live in Iwatodai... Wonder if I'll ever see her._

_May 18, 2009, Early Morning_

_Gekkoukan Entrance_

MONDAY

Minato walked to school with Yukari and Junpei. Junpei was dragging his feet in dread of what was to come. The archer had threatened to leave Junpei if he didn't hurry up, but to it was no use. The capped junior couldn't be motivated to walk faster.

"C'mon, stupei!" Yukari was getting angry. "We're gonna be late if you don't walk faster!"

Junpei moaned. "But it's the first day! I-I just can't..."

"Well it's your fault!" Yukari continued to chastise Junpei.

"Junpei." Minato said in a firm voice. "Just be a man and deal with it. P.E should be a cinch for you, right? After dealing with the monorail incident, this should be nothing." He encouraged his best friend.

"I guess." Junpei sighed. Then he stood straight. "You know, what? You're right, Minato! If worse comes to worst, I can always guess what to write!" He beamed with newfound energy and ran inside the school leaving the two behind.

Yukari sighed. Junpei was so predictable. _But Minato-kun did a good job too. No wonder he's the one our senpai chose. _Yukari looked at the blue-haired junior. _He has this 'aura' around him._

"Hm? Is something wrong, Yukari-san?" Ha asked, bringing Yukari out of her thoughts.

"Oh, uh... nothing! C'mon let's go before the bell rings." She said, walking briskly away from the puzzled Minato.

_May 23, 2009, Early Morning_

_Gekkoukan High_

SATURDAY

Minato was approached by the school's boxing champ as he walked through Gekkoukan's gates. "Hey, Minato." Akihiko said.

"Oh, morning senpai. What's up?"

"Good morning." The boxer returned the greeting. "Ready for the last day of exams?" The question was met with a confident nod. "That's good. If the doc gives me a thumbs up at today's checkup, I'll be able to join you guys."

"That's great." The field leader of SEES congratulated Akihiko.

"Hey, I have a favor to ask. You've done a great job leading the team in Tartarus. Would you mind continuing after I come back?" Akihiko asked. "That way I can continue on building my strength."

The junior looked dubious, making Akihiko laugh. "C'mon. Have faith in yourself. Just keep doing what you've been doing and treat me just like you would the others. Mitsuru has no problems with it. So don't worry about that." The boxer clapped Minato's shoulder and walked away.

Minato sighed and put his headphones on his ears. _Another decision concerning me that has been made without my consent... _**The red head must be figuring out how you think... Telling you is too much of a hassle, anyway since you always think there's an ulterior motive, Master. **_Just who's side are you on Apsaras?... Not that the decision matters anyway._

Minato shook his head and walked into the school grounds.

_After School_

Minato stretched on his seat as the exam period ended. He did well enough in his opinion, having answered confidently most of the questions the test thrown at the Skylark Industries heir. Minato stood up, wanting to get out of the classroom immediately.

He just wanted some fresh air to clear his head up of those annoying equations that lingered in his mind. _The Rooftop might be a nice place for a while. Or maybe near that Persimmon tree. Speaking of the tree I wonder how the old couple are doing?..._

Minato was brought out of his thoughts as he crashed into someone. Acting on instinct, he reached out to stop the person he had crashed into from falling. "Ah!" came the surprised reaction of one Chihiro Fushimi.

Minato stepped back as Chihiro avoided eye contact. "Er... I apologize. The fault was entirely mine." He said, unconsciously speaking in a way he never did. Well, not with high school students at least. "A-Are you hurt?"

"N-no... I- wasn't looking where I was going. Sorry for overreacting, again." She replied.

Minato nodded. "It's alright. I wasn't looking where I was going, too."

Chihiro suddenly took a deep breath and faced the blue-haired junior. "H-Hi!" She said in a tone louder than necessary. Minato blinked as he imagined a huge question mark appearing at the top of his head.

"I was able to say hi to you!" The treasurer said, oblivious to Minato's confusion. "I've been telling myself not to be afraid, but the more I think about it, the more I get scared. I hope I'll be able to get better at this sometime..." She muttered.

"Well, do you want to hang out?" Minato asked, it was an innocent question.

Chihiro was surprised. _Why would he... No, he is probably just being nice. _Sensing her confusion, Minato decided to explain. "You wanted to get better at it, right? So why don't you spend time with some boys for a start?"

"T-that's um... uh.. right. But it's too soon!" She blurted. "I-I'll think about it, o-okay!" The newest council member nodded. "Sure." Minato walked away. He was at the stairs, deliberating whether he wanted to go to the rooftop or to the persimmon tree.

When another person approached him from behind. Since Minato was not thinking deeply, and he had some sort of sixth sense when it came to things like this, he just smiled. "What do you think, Yuko? Rooftop or the tree?" He asked without turning around.

He looked behind his shoulder just in time to see Yuko's surprised face. "You're no fun. How did you know?"

"There's only one person I know who makes that much noise even when she's trying to be sneaky." Minato joked. However, Yuko didn't find it funny.

"What do you mean by that?" She asked with a dangerous edge to her voice. Surprised, Minato turned around. "Nothing mean. I assure you."

The Kendo team manager sighed. "Are you free today, Minato-kun? Do you want to walk home together?" Minato agreed and even offered to treat the girl to Wild-duck burger.

_Iwatodai Strip Mall, Wild-Duck Burger_

"I'm mentally exhausted." Yuko sighed once Minato finished ordering for the two of them.

"What happened?" Minato asked.

"Well nothing major. Maybe I exaggerated a bit. But seriously, I have been feeling kinda down lately.." Yuko explained.

"Why?"

"Well, Mr. Ekoda, you know, that boring Classic Lit teacher, asked to speak with me. He wanted to know why I turned in a blank quiz."

Minato blinked. "Blank?"

The team manager nodded. "He asked me if I didn't have any motivation, I answered honestly, I said I didn't." She sighed again. "Then he got pissed! He even went as far as to yell at me about the length of my skirt!"

"Seriously?" Minato tried not to laugh. "Man, that Ekoda is something... But why did you... how should I say this?" The junior paused, trying to think of a better term. "I know Classic Lit is a pain in the butt, with Ekoda as the teacher, well... that's even worse. But maybe you can write something on your paper next time."

Yuko sighed. "I just don't care about Classic Lit. It's just some bunch of stories written by dead people. But I guess you're right..."

"That's the spirit." Minato urged as he ate a French fry. "Show Ekoda he can't mess with Yuko."

Yuko laughed. "Yeah! He doesn't realize that we're just teenagers, anyway. It's the time to enjoy life! Besides, my reputation as an 'intellectual' would be ruined." She chuckled.

"That's true." Minato nodded, hiding a smile forming on his face with a burger.

"T-that was just a joke!" Yuko punched the Kendo star's arm. "Y-you were supposed to play along..." Minato's sharp eye noticed a blush on Yuko's cheeks but dismissed it as the consequence of his words. "He asked me to write a 3-page essay, reflecting on my performance in his class... 3 PAGES? Is he even serious? What does he expect me to say?"

Minato cleared his throat. "My experiences with your class all involve dreams, Mr. Ekoda. Your class offers a great opportunity for sleep in a high school student's hectic life." He laughed at his sample.

"Hey, that wasn't too bad. Maybe I should write that down... or not. You just made that joke sound deep." Yuko pouted. "But I guess I have to this if I want to graduate. Otherwise I have to repeat his class. I can't wait to graduate with everyone, especially the Kendo team. And you too, Minato-kun. Or am I getting ahead of myself?" She smiled.

Minato laughed. "I look forward to graduation, too. But it's still months away."

Yuko frowned when she looked at her wristwatch. "Oh, I better go. I better work on that stupid essay and get it over with... Thanks for today, Minato-kun." She said and walked out. Soon, he decided to leave as well.

_Iwatodai Dorm, Evening_

The double doors of the dorm opened and a cheery-looking Akihiko entered. Minato had received a message from Mitsuru stating that the boxer had passed his checkup today.

"Senpai! I hear you're fully healed." Yukari said and Junpei and I congratulated him.

"I need to catch up on my training. I've slacked off for a whole month." Akihiko said, which earned him a dubious look from the only girl. Mitsuru was away on business but she already knew about the boxer's results. "I've already wasted precious time. Besides, we found another Persona-user."

"Are you sure?" Minato asked, surprised.

"Is... it a girl?" Junpei asked as well, earning him sighs from the rest of SEES. Akihiko nodded. "She's actually a junior who goes to Gekkoukan. Fuuka Yamagishi. You guys know her?" The boxer asked.

Minato ran all possible matches in his brain but none came to mind.

"Yamagishi...? Oh, that girl in 2-E... She gets sick a lot from what I hear." Yukari informed. "I don't see her at school very often."

"She was in the same hospital as me. That's how we found about her." Akihiko said. "But maybe she's not cut out for battle. I had an Evoker made for her, too."

_Wait... we? Who's the other one? Could it be the tough-looking teen at the hospital? _Minato thought.

"Whoa, whoa whoa. We can't just give up on her like that!" Junpei protested. "I was gonna offer her some private lessons..." The rest of SEES sighed again.

"What? I'm a guy. Whaddya expect?" Junpei defended to himself.

"Anyway, since senpai's fully healed now, I think we should go to Tartarus once Mitsuru-senpai returns." The field leader said. "We could use the exercise after all that brainstorming..."

_Tartarus, Dark Hour_

"I finally get to go with you guys." Akihiko told the three juniors. "But that doesn't mean you can slack off, okay?"

"I'm afraid I don't know the meaning of 'slack off'." Minato joked.

"Knowing _him_, you know it's true." Junpei muttered. Making the others laugh.

Minato decided to visit the Velvet Room, remembering the Persona Compendium Elizabeth mentioned. Once he entered, he was still surprised to see the club instead of the huge elevator. He sat on the new seat with Igor facing him. He later left the Velvet Room with 3 new Personae and bought the Persona he'd fused back.

Chimera of the Chariot arcana, Omoikane of the Emperor arcana and Jack Frost of the Magician arcana, joined the other Personas in Minato's mind.

ARQA, 29TH FLOOR

The team of four entered the nest of shadows, eager to let off some steam caused by the exams. The school's boxing champ was excited to be back in action and so was Junpei, ready to forget all the grief midterms had caused him.

"We're facing some new enemies here, huh?" Akihiko observed as the group explored.

"Yeah, but with Akihiko-san back on the job, no one can beat us!" Junpei exclaimed. "Sides' the shadows here are nuthin' compared to the one on the monorail..."

"That's true. But we still need to be cautious. Besides, I'm sure no one wants a tower full of shadows as strong as the one on the monorail." Minato remarked. "Let's move forward."

The four of them continued to explore at Minato's orders. After walking awhile without incident, the team heard a loud roar from behind. Akihiko who was in the rear, saw the huge shadow first. It was a shadow none of them had faced before, it had the face of a giant lion with the roman numeral VII on its forehead. But the lower body was composed of what seemed to be a large chariot wheel with spikes on its axis.

The shadow roared again, daring the team of four to challenge it. The field leader ordered them to spread, giving the shadow more targets to attack. Seeing this, the shadow went for the nearest target, which was Junpei.

"Junpei, watch out!" Yukari warned as she sent a volley of arrows to distract the enraged lion. Unfortunately, the shadow was moving far too quickly for any of the arrows to hit it. Minato was able to cast an Agi spell from Chimera at the shadow's behind, making its wheel smoke.

The enraged lion roared, and turned around to face its attacker. Minato was only able to dodge the charging shadow thanks to his refined reflexes. "Drat, its really fast." He muttered as he rolled back to his feet, but the lion wasn't finished with the field leader. It suddenly turned and attacked Minato with the spike on the left side of the wheel.

"Minato-kun!" Yukari yelled as she saw Minato's sword fly as it took the brunt of the attack. The field leader was left virtually defenseless since the shadow would be on him before he could summon a persona to defend himself. "Io!" Takeba shot herself with the Evoker and sent a strong wind towards the shadow.

Unfortunately, Yukari had been a second too late. The lion had anticipated the attack and reversed its wheel, practically running away from Minato. He mouthed a word of thanks to Yukari as he got back on his feet.

"_The shadow has multiple weaknesses, Takeba's Garu spell and Akihiko's Zio spells are effective on the Bestial Wheel." _Mitsuru informed them as she finished scanning.

"All right, you heard her. Junpei, you and I will distract it with our Personas, don't bother attacking with your sword." Minato ordered. "Yukari and Akihiko-senpai, concentrate on bombarding that shadow with spells. Just be careful you don't hit Junpei or me." He added, aware of Junpei's Garu weakness and some of his Persona's Zio weaknesses.

"Gotcha! Polydueces!" Akihiko shot himself with the Evoker summoning a muscled Persona clad in gleaming silver armor. It had long blond hair, red boots and a long drill in place of a right arm. The Persona's head seemed to be attached to its shoulders, with either a nonexistent neck or just a really short one. "Zio!" Akihiko lifted his right hand and pointed at the enraged lion.

Polydeuces imitated its master's movements and a streak of lightning fell out of the sky. The shadow roared in pain as it was chasing the agile Hermes. Stunned, the shadow fell on its side.

Seeing their chance, the team rushed forward at Minato's orders. The _Bestial Wheel_ was soon made quick work of thanks to their combined efforts.

"Aw right!" Junpei posed, his left hand raised to the sky. Er, roof of Tartarus. "Now that's what I'm talkin about!" Akihiko laughed. The junior's energy was contagious. "I've been aching to do that for a month." A few feet away from the two of them, Minato was frowning. "This is useless." He muttered as he threw the remains of his battered Gladius at a purple wall.

"It's broken?" Yukari asked as she approached him. "You can't fight without a weapon, Minato-kun. We better get back." Minato turned to face her. "Well, I don't have a choice do I? There isn't a teleporter nearby anyway. I still have my personas with me, so I'll compensate with that."

Unknown to the two, Akihiko was listening into their discussion. "It's the only choice we have. We have to keep going until we find a teleporter."

"Don't worry, man! The three of us will protect ya!" Junpei butted in.

Minato sighed. "I'm not entirely defenseless, you know... I still have my personas." He crossed his arms. "Well, staying here won't help us any, so we just have to move forward."

"_I will continue to scan the floors ahead. I'll inform you immediately if I find a teleporter." _Mitsuru said through the connection. _"I know this goes without saying, but be careful. The shadows ahead are stronger than before." _

After battling three Soul Dancers on the 30th floor, Junpei noticed something shiny at one of end of the hallway they were in. Curious, the four of them decided to have a look for themselves. Once they reached the end of the hallway, Minato blinked in disbelief at what he saw.

"A... chest..." He muttered. "A golden... chest."

"Wow! It's just like in one of those RPG's!" Junpei was giddy with excitement. Not waiting for a second, he opened the chest.

"Hey!" Akihiko protested. "That thing could have been a trap!"

"Well, as you can see, nothing happened." The capped junior retorted. He looked inside the golden chest. "Hey, it's some gloves!"

_Gloves ..._ _in a golden chest... inside a tower full of abominations that only appear at a specific time period. _Minato thought dubiously. _Maybe I'm just dreaming, and all this persona, shadow, Dark Hour business is just some sort of sick joke my mind thought up as punishment for eating before sleeping... Yeah, right. If I was only that lucky..._

"_A golden chest? Iori, we don't know if those gloves are safe."_ Mitsuru stated. _"Let me scan them first. Give me a minute."_

Junpei fidgeted with excitement. Minato and Yukari shook their heads at the sight. "Stupei..." Yukari sighed. "Still, a pair of gloves aren't going to be of much use to us. Akihiko-senpai's gloves don't need to be replaced after all."

"_There doesn't seem to be anything wrong emanating from the chest. It is safe, Iori."_ Apparently, the junior's excitement could be sensed from thirty floors below. "_Chests inside Tartarus... Since we have never explored this far, this is the first time I have seen chests inside this tower. I wonder how those gloves ended up in there?" _ The council president mused.

"_Either way, I suggest taking the pair of gloves with you. It seems to be of a higher quality than the ones available at the Police station."_

"But I don't need new gloves." Akihiko pointed out. Then he turned to the field leader. "Minato, do you think you can improvise? Since you are weaponless and everything..."

Minato took the gloves taken from the chest. "It's not a bad idea, I suppose." He said as he wore the gloves. "Been some time since I last fought with these..." Yukari heard him mutter under his breath.

Seeing his best friend, Junpei laughed. "You look pretty badass, Minato! Yuka-tan can't keep her eyes off of you now." Yukari answered him with a harsh glare that would have rivaled Medusa's. Junpei was unfazed by this, however.

Akihiko smirked. "Let's just keep going. I want to get the most out of this exploration." After exploring around a bit, the team ran into another _Bestial Wheel._ Already knowing it's weaknesses, Akihiko and Yukari exploited them.

Still, the shadow was formidable. Junpei did his best to distract the agile shadow with his persona but it wasn't enough. At its speed, most of the spells summoned by Yukari and Akihiko missed. They were both about to cast another set of spells when Minato jumped in front of the shadow, ducking under its spike, he punched the shadow with a left uppercut just below its nose. Momentarily stunning it.

"Now!" He yelled, jumping back. The shadow had no hope as twin spells of Garu and Zio devoured it. The _Bestial Wheel_ disappeared with a low roar.

"Geez, those things are such fast monsters." Akihiko complained. "Nice uppercut, Minato."

"_There is a teleporter available on the 32nd floor. Make way for it as fast as you can. The Dark Hour ends in twenty minutes." _Mitsuru informed.

Upon arriving on the 32nd floor, the team of four was greeted by four _Laughing Tables_. One of the shadows immediately casted a Bufu's multi-targeting spell version. Junpei managed to slash the ice particle directed at him with his sword ,Yukari rolled to the right, narrowly missing the spell. Minato immediately switched to Jack Frost, making use of the persona's ice affinity. Akihiko on the other hand, was unable to dodge and fell to the floor.

"Senpai!" Yukari yelled when she saw the boxing champ lying on the floor. She took her Evoker from its holster and summoned Io. "Dia!" She yelled.

"You'll pay for that ya deformed coffee tables!" Junpei taunted as he summoned Hermes. "Take this!" He sent a ball of fire towards the nearest shadow, making it scream in pain. Minato rushed forward and finished the weakened shadow.

"Tch." Akihiko said as he got back on his feet. "Ice isn't my favorite element... Thanks, Takeba." _Wait, isn't Mitsuru's persona ice oriented? Just my luck... _Once he got back on his feet, he saw the _Laughing Tables _dissipate. They had been obliterated by Junpei's Agi spells and were unable to retaliate since Minato was attacking them from close range.

Panting, Junpei fell on his knee. Despite this, he still managed to find the energy to laugh. "Was I awesome or what?" "Great job, man." The field leader complimented as he wiped sweat from his forehead.

After catching their breaths, they resumed their search for the teleporter. They found what they were looking for around the next corner they rounded.

"Finally." Yukari sighed as she activated the teleporter. "I'm so tired."

"I want to eat some pizza before I sleep..." Junpei mumbled as the transport took place.

_May 25, 2009, After School_

_Gekkoukan High, Gymnasium_

MONDAY

Minato sat on the bench in the Gym, resting after a practice session. He had seen his scores earlier that day. He was surprised to find himself getting the highest score in their grade. He didn't expect his score to be that high, since exploring Tartarus took up a lot of his time, not to mention they were involved in a what-could-have-been monorail accident.

He was wiping sweat from his forehead when the team captain approached him. "Hey, Minato-kun. Where's Kaz?"

"Kaz?" Minato looked around the Gym, Kazushi was nowhere to be seen. "I haven't seen him, senpai."

The team captain sighed deeply. "Again? He didn't attend practice last time." He shook his head. "I will have to talk to him about this..."

Minato nodded and excused himself lest he be questioned more. He decided to hit the showers before going to the council meeting.

_Main Lobby_

Minato walked through the main lobby after showering, opting to deposit his Gym bag in his locker. Suddenly, he spotted Kazushi sitting on a chair by the door. Blinking, he decided to approach his P.E uniform-wearing friend.

"Kazushi? What are you doing here?" Minato asked.

"H-Hey! Oh, its you..." He said, once he saw the blue-haired junior. "You've probably wondering where I've been..."

"Hospital again?"

He smiled sourly. "You remember what we talked about last time? O-of course you do; you remember everything." He crossed his arms. "I just got back from the hospital. They had the results from my last exam." Then he looked away. "H-hey... Minato, I... Ugh!"

Kazushi tried to get up but he fell to his knees instead. "Drat! I-I can't-" Minato knelt beside him and let him use his shoulder.

"S-sorry to be such a pain..." He said as he got back to his feet. "F-Funny, huh? T-this makes it impossible for me to tie my shoes." He tried to joke around. "Thank goodness you were around. It it were anybody else, the rest of the team would've found out. I really appreciate it, Minato. Thanks."

"Anytime, Kaz." Minato smiled. "H-hey, where are you going?" He asked when Kazushi started to head for the Gym.

"I'm gonna go train by myself. I have to keep training even though practice is over. The regionals will come by soon." He answered.

"You can't train!" Minato protested. "What about your injury? If you wanna train, do it when there are people around who can help you."

Kazushi turned around, anger in his features. "I-I have to! And I can't train at home, my Mom will chew me out." Then his face softened. "Don't worry, I'll take it easy. I'm sorry, man. I just have to."

Minato scratched the back of his neck and sighed. _Knowing him, he won't be persuaded..._ "Fine." He relented. "Just be careful." Minato said as Kazushi headed for the Gym. He grunted upon looking at his watch. The junior saw that he was late for the council meeting.

_Student Council room_

Minato could hear loud shouts when he reached the 2nd floor hallway. The sources of which seemed to be the council room.

"How many times do I have to explain? It's like I'm talking to a moron..." Hidetoshi was saying as Minato entered the room.

"Oh, Minato-san..." Chihiro noticed the junior enter.

"What's going on?" Minato asked her, but she was interrupted when Hazuki Itsuhara, the Vice President argued back.

"Why are you accusing ME? The cigarette butt was found in the BOYS' bathroom, remember?" She yelled at Hidetoshi.

"Can you prove that it was not a girl who left it there?" Hidetoshi was adamant.

"Why am I even bothering to reason with you?" Hazuki shook her head and left the room. Other angry council members followed her outside.

"I-I better go and get the President." Chihiro said and left the room, leaving Minato alone with Hidetoshi. Minato was thinking about how odd it is that Chihiro keeps on fetching Mitsuru when Hidetoshi interrupted his thoughts.

"What a bunch of Neanderthals..." He said. "You were there the whole time, Minato-kun?"

"No. I was late for the meeting." Minato admitted. "But Hidetoshi, you can't accuse everyone."

"I hope you're not giving into peer pressure, Minato-kun." He frowned.

"No. It's not that. It's just... " Minato trailed off.

"If you only buck the system, you're only hurting yourself. You'll see the light one day." Hidetoshi said. "I'm not isolating myself; I'm just being aloof. Sooner or later, someone always gets hurt in any relationship."

Then he paused for a while. Turning back to Minato, he smiled. "I guess, I'm preaching to the choir, though, I apologize."

Minato sighed. "There's no reason to have a meeting if no one's here..." He turned to Hidetoshi. "I can understand what you're doing Hidetoshi, but lighten up a bit next time, okay?" He laughed. "Come on, let's go."

**Author's Note: **Okay, this chapter is purely third person POV. I really want to experiment with it so please bear with me. Have you guys noticed that there's an insane amount of in-game text in here? (Well, for the ones that haven't, now they know... Brilliant. Just brilliant.) Sorry about that but I'm still trying to find the proper balance. Oh, and as always, Please REVIEW. I would appreciate any advice you people can give me. Especially about the pairings!

Team Status 

**Minato Arisato**: Lvl 15

**Yukari Takeba**: Lvl 11

**Junpei Iori**: Lvl 11

**Akihiko Sanada**: Lvl 12

Minato's Personas

Jack Frost: Lvl 11

Chimera: Lvl 12

Omoikane: Lvl 10

Angel: Lvl 10

Orpheus: Lvl 11

Apsaras: Lvl 8

Nekomata: Lvl 9

Alp: Lvl 9

S-Links

Fool: SEES, Rank 3

Magician: Kenji, Rank 3

Emperor: Student Council, Rank 5

Hierophant: Old Couple, Rank 1

Chariot: Kazushi, Rank 5

Hermit: Maya, Rank 4

Strength: Yuko, Rank 2


	13. Chapter 12: The Ghost girl

_**Chapter Twelve: The Ghost Girl**_

_May 26, 2009, After School_

_Gekkoukan High – Third Person POV_

TUESDAY

Minato was puzzled with Kenji's behavior. The latter had approached him at lunchtime saying that he had something really important to say. Driven by curiosity, Minato talked to him after school, only to be dragged all the way to the first floor corridor.

"Thanks for coming, man." Kenji said. "C-can you wait here for a sec?"

"Wait, what?" Minato blinked. "You dragged me all the way out here, just to make me wait?"

"Hey, don't freak out, man! I'm gonna ask Ms. Kanou out right now!" Kenji was so giddy, Minato expected him to jump up and down like a bunny on drugs.

"Oh." Was all Minato said.

"Don't be so cold, dude. I mean, I got a chance with her, right? Wait here for me okay? I don't want to go home alone." Kenji broke into a cold sweat. He took a deep breath. "Alright, here I go!" He ran off, leaving Minato behind.

Minato sighed and shook his head. Putting his headphones on his ears, he sat himself down on the chair near the Old Couple's favorite tree. _I missed Kendo practice just to wait outside for Kenji..._ Minato thought sourly. _Oh well, at least my body can get some rest once in a while. Besides, I'm thinking of going to Tartarus later..._

Minato waited for a while longer, contenting himself with listening to 'Mass Destruction' on his earphones. When suddenly, the music died mid-song. The two plugs of his earphones were in Yuko's fingers behind him.

"What are you doing here, Minato-kun?" Yuko smiled when she saw Minato's surprised expression. Almost immediately though, his expression went back to the normal 'cool'.

"Waiting." Minato replied with a smirk.

"For what? You missing Kendo practice for... waiting?" Yuko asked in mock anger.

Minato shrugged, taking his earphones from Yuko's fingers. As soon, as their hands touched, Yuko blushed. Minato didn't notice this however, since he was fiddling with his Mp3 player. "It's not a good idea to waste the battery of this thing ya know?"

"Um.. yeah." Yuko sat down beside him, fighting down the blush at touching his hands even for a moment. _Idiot! Stop blushing! "_Anyway, do you listen to Risette's songs, Minato-kun?" She asked, trying to change the subject.

"Risette?" Minato asked. "I'm not familiar with the name."

"Er, well. She's this new teen pop idol. I hear that she used to be just a girl from a rural town. But now, she's the talk of the town." Yuko informed.

"Really? She must be quite good then." Minato nodded. "Are you a fan of hers, Yuko?"

Yuko blinked. "Um... kinda. I kind of listen to her when I'm not running off fetching some things for the guys on the team." Yuko stood up. "Speaking of 'team', I better get back. You better not miss practice next time, Minato-kun." She said before leaving.

_Risette, huh? _ Minato thought.

"Hey, man, listen to this!" Kenji said, alerting Minato to his presence. "She said yes! Can ya believe it!? She said YES! Just as I was about to ask her out, she asked ME if I wanted a private lesson. A PRIVATE lesson, dude!" Kenji blurted out, not even caring if Minato was listening or not.

_A private lesson..._ Minato had a sudden urge to slap his forehead.

"Dude, I owe you! I owe you big time!" Kenji took Minato left hand and started shaking it up and down. "She actually invited me over to her house! Oh man, I am so not ready for this!" Kenji babbled on and on about he should take it slow.

"Oh, hey, Minato. You're still here?" Kenji apparently noticed Minato was still there. "I gotta go man, sorry for making ya wait. Later!" He ran off, leaving a perplexed Minato behind.

_He made me wait... Only to forget that I was there... _Minato sighed and put the earphones on his ears again. He grabbed his bag and left the corridor, not noticing someone in pink by the corner.

_Evening_

Junpei was not in the best of moods that night. Earlier that day, he had gotten a call from his drunkard of a father. Asking what the heck he was up to and why couldn't he see his son at home. Junpei decided to end the call before he and his old man fought. To make matters worse, he overheard a couple of girls say that he had a one track mind when they saw his results at lunchtime.

He locked himself up in his room, avoiding the other SEES members.

"Stupid old man." He grumbled as he threw a pillow at the wall. "Why do you have to drink every damn day? What kind of father are you?" He asked no one in particular. Then he laughed bitterly. "I guess I have to thank ya, in a way... If I wasn't so freakin' pissed at you, I would never have been stuck in that damn convenience store..."

_May 29, 2009, After School_

_Gekkoukan High_

FRIDAY

Yukari walked towards the first floor corridor, tired from practice.

"What a workout." She sighed. "I have to teach those freshmen how to clean up properly." She stopped and looked at the Persimmon tree beside her, remembering the time when she saw Yuko sitting beside Minato. She sighed again. _Why am I even thinking about this? Stupid stupei, putting these things in my head..._

"Hahahaha!" Yukari's thoughts was interrupted by obnoxious laughter nearby."Hm?" She saw two girls talking to each other loudly. Soon, she found herself listening into their rather loud discussion.

"So, I pretended to take a picture with my cell." The one girl with dark skin and brown hair said. "She freaked out and started crying... Like it was the end of the world." She laughed. "You should've seen the look on her face. It was so priceless!"

_Bullies?_ Yukari frowned in disgust. _Don't they have anything better to do?_

"OMG!" The brunette's friend said.

The first girl laughed again. "I've never... never laughed so hard in my entire life!" The girls continued to laugh. Completely disgusted, Yukari gathered her things and started to walk away from the corridor.

"Huh?" The second girl suddenly stopped laughing. "Where's that voice coming from?

"Hey Maki! Are you okay? What voice?" The first girl asked. "Maki? Maki!"

The second girl was pale. "Huh?" She stammered. "W-What were we talking about?"

"About time they left." Yukari muttered, out of earshot of the two girls. "I can't stand people like that..."

_May 30, 2009, Early Morning_

_Gekkoukan Entrance_

SATURDAY

"Hey, did you hear about that 11th grader?" One student by the gates said, catching Minato's attention. The blue-haired junior was intrigued by the daily rumors.

"Do you mean the one that was lying on the ground this morning?" Another student asked. "I kinda thought she ran away from home... But I get the feeling that this is the start of something big."

Minato was perplexed. _The second one said 'she' so it means the junior's a girl. But_ _lying on the ground this morning? Was she beaten unconscious?_

The first student groaned. "There might be reporters and camera crews and all that... I don't want to deal with that."

The bell rang, signaling the students. Minato decided to think more about it on his spare time and walked towards the school grounds.

_Morning_

_2-F Classroom_

Minato yawned and stretched in his seat as he saw Junpei walking towards him.

"What's up?" Minato mumbled.

"Did you hear about that girl from 2-E?" Junpei asked as he sat beside Minato. The latter thought for a moment before remembering the rumors earlier. "I might've. Is she the one lying on the school grounds this morning?"

Junpei was surprised. He didn't expect Minato to pay attention to or know the rumors. "You heard?"

Minato smiled. "Kinda hard not to. The whole school's buzzing about it."

Junpei sighed. "Yeah... but nobody's got a clue... Isn't that weird?"

"True." stated the blue-haired junior. "But since it only happened this morning, I doubt people could actually figure out what happened without much concrete evidence."

Junpei couldn't help smiling at the complicated sounding statement. "Did you say that just to sound cool?" He looked around the classroom. Everyone was talking about the rumor. "Can you believe these people?"

Minato nodded. "What'd you expect?" He asked. "We only hear about stuff like this on TV, anyway."

"Well here's what I heard." Junpei said. "They say that the girl from 2-E went missing last night. But as you know, this morning they found her lying in front of the school gates. But here's the weird stuff, nobody knows what happened, and supposedly she's still unconscious."

Minato frowned. _Still unconscious and nobody knows what happened ... that blows the beaten unconscious theory out of the water. The bruises would be quite obvious. Does the junior have some sort of illness? Or maybe she fell into a coma state..._

Junpei smirked at his friend. He could practically see the gears turning themselves in Minato's head. From the corner of his eye, he saw Yukari walking towards the two of them.

"Morning..." She said as she sat beside Junpei.

"Yo, Yuka-tan!" Junpei greeted. "This is one tough case! Even for Junpei Iori, Ace Detective."

Minato was brought out of his thoughts the moment Yukari entered. _Ace Detective?... _Yukari stared at the capped junior. "Ace Detective ...? Are you stupid or something?"

"...More like Stupei, Ace Defective."

"Hey! I resent that, Yuka-tan!" Junpei protested. "Where have you been anyway?"

"I was talking to the teacher. You know that girl they found? Well, I saw her on my way back to the dorm yesterday, on my way back from practice." Yukari answered, her eyes wary. "She seemed fine then."

Minato blinked. _More pieces to the puzzle? Hmm... it's so suspicious that it sounds familiar. Almost supernatural even..._

Junpei went white. "That's just creepy..."

_Evening_

Minato was greeted once he got back to the dorm. Earlier, he ate out with Yuko at the Wakatsu Restaurant. The Kendo team manager had asked Minato about his opinion on her eating habits. Minato told her that her that the amount she ate was fine for someone who works as much as she did. Yuko was amused and commented about him being 'lucky' for living in a dorm with beautiful girls such as Mitsuru and Yukari-san.

The field leader smiled his most disarming smile, deciding to play along. He said that she was much cuter. Yuko blushed and even joked about how she would tell Yukari about it some years later. The two Kendo members left the restaurant immediately on Yuko's urging. She decided to leave before she was tempted to buy any more.

"Hey, Minato-kun." Yukari greeted him. "I'm sure you heard the rumors around Gekkoukan." Minato nodded as he sat down on the couch. "So, the rumors aren't all that bad after all."

Yukari smiled. "I know. The rumors can be such a pain sometimes..." Then she frowned. "Same goes for the other students. Honestly, they can be so immature sometimes. It's just a ghost story, for Pete's sake..." She rolled her eyes. _I'm sure you know who I mean.._

"I don't feel too well tonight. So I wont be able to go to Tartarus.. Sorry." Yukari said and climbed up the stairs.

Akihiko, who sat on the couch across Minato turned to the field leader. "If that's the case, then we shouldn't go to Tartarus. Mitsuru's training in the command room and as Yukari said, she has this 'weird' feeling." Akihiko told Minato. "Whatever that means..."

"It seems that Yukari has a 'sixth' sense when it comes to shadows." Ikutsuki said as he emerged from the Kitchen doorway, alerting Minato to his presence. "Actually, that's quite common. As the two of you know, dealing with shadows has a tendency to enhance other... senses."

Minato sent a puzzled look at Ikutsuki's back. _Shadows? How on earth did he come to that conclusion? Suspicious... Come to think of it, I never felt any trust for the chairman. But shadows? *sigh* That ruins the type of mystery I was looking forward to._

_But... maybe. Just maybe. There might be more to this than meets the eye... _

_May 31, 2009, Early Morning_

_Minato's Room_

SUNDAY

"_Here comes Tanakaaaa! Over the airwaves to youuuu..._" The TV played the irritating song of the TV shopping show.

"_Hello, everyone! Welcome to the home shopping show, "Tanaka's Amazing Commodities"!"_ A man wearing a gray business suit with a red tie popped up on the screen. "_I'm your host, Tanaka, with a live presentation of my Amazing Commodities..._"

Minato sat on his bed, his hair still dripping wet after he took a bath. "Tanaka's Amazing Commodities, huh? Wonder what you have today?"

Then as if on cue, the presenter took something out of a box. Minato blinked in surprise as Tanaka waved a... revealing piece of armor. The armor resembled a two-piece bikini. "_Our item for the day is the 'Battle Panties'! This wonderful fashion statement provides excellent protection for you femme fatales!_"

_Battle Panties... fashion statement...? Who on earth would buy something like that? Not even my crazy twin sister would. _Minato slapped his forehead.

"_Here comes Tanakaaaa! Over the airwaves to youuuu!_" The TV droned again as the shopping show ended.

Minato smiled. _The kind of things the world offers..._ He swept his nearly dried hair back, knowing it would fall to its usual style later. Then his gaze lingered on his laptop. _Speaking of my crazy twin sister... I wonder how things are going back in Tokyo. I do hope Hamuko's okay..._

His thoughts were interrupted by the shrill ringing of his phone. "Minato Arisato, here." He said as he answered the phone.

"_Hi, it's Yuko. Are you free today? Let's do something, Minato-kun."_

"Oh, okay. Sure. Do you want to meet at Chagall Cafe?"

"_Sure. I'll meet you there. Don't be late, okay?"_

_June 1, 2009, After School_

_Port Island Station_

MONDAY

Minato groaned as he made his way to stairs in front of the station. Each step he took made him wince at his slightly sore back. He had decided to take the team to Tartarus last night after he ate out with Yuko. The members of SEES managed to reach floor 36 quickly. Their skills were improving quickly as well. But it had its price.

As soon as the day's classes ended, the field leader decided to attend Kendo practice since it had been a long time since he had last practiced. A decision he now regretted. In the middle of practice though, an angry Yuko had approached him and showed him a text message from Kazushi, asking Minato to meet him at the station.

Driven by curiosity and thankful for the excuse to rest his back, he made his way to the station. Glancing around, he saw the dark-skinned, jumpsuit wearing boy sitting on the stairs. "Kaz."

Kazushi jumped at the mention of his name and turned around to see Minato looking at him with a puzzled look on his face. "Minato! Y-You surprised me there..." He went silent for a minute. Minato just sat beside him on the stairs.

"Yuko was pissed off, huh?" Kazushi asked after a minute of silence. "... since I missed practice." He averted his gaze.

"Yeah..."

"I-It was my fault in the first place... I was avoiding her and the team captain. She called me once and I turned my phone off..." Kazushi went silent again. "I-I should've told you the results, but instead I avoided you..."

Minato remained silent, waiting for the right time to speak.

"Apparently, my knee is getting torn apart." The jumpsuit wearing teen blurted. "T-the doctor said that if I keep this up, I might not be able to walk anymore... I put too much pressure on it during practice... Pathetic, huh?" He bit his lip. "I-I just want to win."

"Kaz..." Hearing this, Kazushi's features hardened. Minato decided to change tactics. He of all people should know how disheartening it is to keep being pitied. "Just suck it up, Kaz."

Kazushi turned, surprised. "T-That's exactly what I've been thinking! Every minute, every second is critical. I don't have time to waste! I promised to be the number one athlete in Japan, after all."

"Is it really that important to you?"

"It isn't just about me, you know." Kazushi informed. "My nephew got into an accident and his leg got messed up..." He paused. "He can't walk right now... but if he goes through rehab, he might just be able to recover! But he says it hurts too much, so he doesn't want to do it... He's only five. So many things he's never done..."

Kazushi thought for a moment. "I made a deal with him, that...- don't laugh, okay- if I become the number one athlete in Japan, he'll go through rehab. So that's why I can't lose!"

Minato felt the respect he felt for his friend grow. Kazushi was not doing it for himself nor throwing away his health on account of a silly dream. He was doing it for his nephew who could not help himself.

However, Kazushi might end up unable to walk. "But, Kaz! What about your knee?" Minato's face was full of concern for his friend.

"I appreciate your concern, man. But I can't worry about that now..." Kazushi said. "Sorry for all the trouble I caused you... especially the depressing discussion." He laughed bitterly. "It's tough to keep it all inside. You were the only one I could talk to."

Kazushi took a deep breath and stood up slowly. "Yuko might be suspecting something, so she might say something to you, but... tell her to talk to me, okay?" He looked at Minato. "I don't want you to get caught up in this, Minato." He said before walking away.

Minato stared at his retreating back. **Hee-ho! It's nice to be trusted, isn't it Master? **Came the jolly voice of Jack Frost.

_Yeah. It's a change. Considering what I'm normally used to... A nice change._

_Evening_

_Iwatodai Dorm_

Minato sat himself down on the nearest chair as soon as he got back. His back didn't hurt as much as a while ago. It was more of an annoying kind of hurt now.

"What's going on?" He asked as he saw the rest of the team -with the exception of Junpei- gathered at the dinner table.

"Junpei wants to talk." Yukari answered. "Something about some stuff he found on the student message board."

Junpei descended down the stairs. "Oh, you're back." He said as he saw Minato.

"What's this about Iori?" Mitsuru asked.

Junpei remained silent and took a seat. "You know how last week, they found that girl by the school gate? Well I found this rumor on the student message boards saying that it was an angry spirit from this one ghost story."

_Ghost story?_ Minato tried to hide his smile. Looking to the right, he saw Mitsuru trying to do the same. Akihiko was calmly interested in contrast to an appalled Yukari.

"H-Hey! C'mon... Nobody believes that stuff!?" Yukari blurted. "R-Right?" She turned to look at everybody else for support but their attention belonged to Junpei.

"So, what is this ghost story about?" Mitsuru ignored Yukari's obvious discomfort.

"W-what? Why bother? I-It's probably just fake!"

"I'm interested. Tell us." Akihiko goaded Junpei, also ignoring Yukari's protests. Yukari glared at the two senpais.

Junpei smiled at the attention he was getting and turned off the lights. Yukari grabbed the edge of the table, slightly managing to suppress a yelp. In the darkness of the lounge, Minato could only make out Junpei's leaning outline.

"Hehehe..." Junpei took out a flashlight from who knows where and started to speak in a mysterious voice. "Good evening. Welcome to Junpei's Believe It, or Don't."

Minato sighed and rubbed his right temple_. He was planning this all along, wasn't he? _

"There are many strange things in this world..." Junpei continued. "According to one story, if you get caught at school lat at night, you'll be devoured by a maniacal ghost that roams the halls!" He paused for dramatic effect. "The other day, this friend of mine- let's call him Kenj... Kaz... er... Shu. He said to me, 'Junpei, I saw something strange.' He sounded serious, so I asked him what he had seen."

"He said it was about the girl in 2-E... He claims he saw her go into the school on the night of the incident. I couldn't believe it." Junpei paused again.

Mitsuru was biting the inside of her lip to contain her laughter and Akihiko had a growing smile on his face. Minato on the other hand, looked to his left and noticed Yukari's frown.

"She's not the kind of girl to be out at night... But Shu was as white as a sheet! He insisted it was true... Then it hit me." Junpei continued. "That ghost must've tried to make her its dinner! And that's why they found her lying on the ground by the school gates!"

Junpei took a deep breath. "I felt a shiver run down my spine, and I broke into a cold sweat... Yes, there are strange things in this world... Believe It or Don't."

"What do you think?" Mitsuru asked as she turned on the lights. Yukari audibly sighed in relief.

"W-Whaat?! Not one word of my frankly amazing performance?!" Junpei protested, waving his flashlight back and forth.

"I think it's worth investigating." Akihiko replied, ignoring Junpei. The latter rolled his eyes, annoyed at the lack of response from his audience. He shifted his gaze over to his fellow juniors.

"Wow, I didn't know you were afraid of ghosts, Yuka-tan." Junpei teased. "That's kinda funny."

"Hey, watch it!" Yukari glared at the capped junior. "... Fine. Then let's investigate! Each of us will ask around for the rest of the week. I'll prove to you that this _ghost_ story is just an urban legend. Nothing more."

Mitsuru smiled. "That's not a bad idea, Takeba. The story _was_ a bit unnerving."

Akihiko laughed. "Yeah. Especially the part with _ghosts._" He emphasized the word casting a meaningful glance at Yukari.

"W-What?" Yukari was suspicious.

"We'll let you guys handle it." Mitsuru said with a smile and headed up the stairs with Akihiko.

"Whaaa...?" Junpei stared at open space. "Thanks a lot, Yuka-tan." He mumbled as he followed the two senpais up the stairs.

Minato and Yukari were left alone in the quiet lounge. Yukari turned to the blue-haired junior. "Sorry about that..." She said, referring to the added activity.

"Don't worry about it." Minato flashed her a kind smile. "I was planning to do it anyway." His smile suddenly turned into a smirk. "You might want to try sleeping with an eye open tonight." He stood up and went up the stairs, escaping from Yukari's wrath.

_Dark Hour_

_Minato's Room_

Minato was just drifting off into dreamland when he felt silent alarms go off in his brain. Knowing better than to doubt his instincts -they saved his life on more than one occasion- the junior roused himself.

"Good Evening." The mysterious boy from before greeted.

Minato relaxed. He instinctively knew that the boy was no threat. And as stated, the junior wasn't one to doubt his instincts. "You again, huh?"

The boy sat on the corner of Minato's bed. "I came to see you again, as I promised. How are you?"

"I won't bother asking how you got in here..." Minato muttered.

The boy cocked his head sidewards. "Then I will not bother asking why you are avoiding the question as well." He said with a smile that creeped Minato out.

_Hmph. The kid's not too shabby to be able figure out that I tried to avoid his question. Then again, this kid's obviously not normal... Since when did _anyone_ in this dorm become normal, anyway?_

"Now..." The boy said. "In another week, the moon will be full again. And the next ordeal will be upon you. So, until then, be careful..." The boy walked over to the door of Minato's room and opened it. "I'll come again." He promised before going outside.

"Full moon?" Minato sighed, feeling sleepy once more. "I guess I can keep… a lookout... for that... ordeal... thing...zzz..."

_June 02, 2009, Early Morning_

_Gekkoukan Entrance_

TUESDAY

Minato had decided to walk to school with Yukari. The two of them normally took the early time monorail so they agreed to walk to school together. Junpei usually took the late time or the prime time so he wasn't able to join the two juniors.

"Ya know what...? From this day forward, I'm gonna do my best!" Yukari said suddenly.

Minato blinked. _I thought we were talking about the food at the Sweet Shop. Did I miss something?_ "Good luck?" He offered.

Yukari stared at the Kendo star. "Do you even know what I'm talking about?" She smiled. "You're hopeless. I'm talking about the ghost story!"

"Oh." Minato nodded.

"Anyway, you better find out as much as you can, Minato-kun! Remember, you have until Friday." Yukari smiled.

"You can count on me." Minato smiled back. "The bell just rang. Come on, let's go."

_After School_

"I-Is it really okay?" Chihiro asked Minato as they walked towards the lockers. "I'm really glad that you're um, willing to... b-but..."

He had asked Chihiro if she wanted to walk home together earlier. The student council treasurer accepted the offer which was a big step for her, but she was so nervous about the whole thing, she couldn't talk straight.

Minato had to smile. He had never come across a girl as nervous or as shy as Chihiro. "Change your mind?" He asked.

"N-No!" She practically screamed. "I was just...um... since it was so sudden.." She looked around and took a deep breath. _He must think I'm a total idiot..._ "Uh, school's almost out... um, let's go."

The two council members walked in silence until they had reached the Iwatodai Dorm.

"Oh, we're here... I-I'm sorry! I was just thinking about what... to say..." Chihiro stammered as she realized where the two of them were. "I was just trying to come up with a topic you might be interested in... and I-I couldn't think of anything..."

Chihiro looked at the dorm's double doors. "This is the Iwatodai Dorm, isn't it? You live here, Minato-san?" She asked.

"Yeah, I do." Minato answered.

"M-My house is in the other direction." Chihiro said, looking the other way.

"Oh, I should have asked. Sorry." Minato apologized. He too, was thinking of a topic the bookish girl might be interested in. It never occurred to him that the girl's house might be in the other direction.

"N-No. Y-You don't have to apologize. It was my fault... I knew we were going in the wrong direction, but I didn't say anything..." She paused. "Th-thank you very very much for... um, making time for me, Minato-san."

The world blinked white for Minato, freezing Chihiro and the rest of his surroundings. "_Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou hast established the Justice Arcana..." _The voice inside his head said.

_A Social Link? Justice... _Minato blinked.

"A-Are you okay, Minato-san?" Chihiro asked.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine." Minato answered with a carefree smile. "Well, at least we won't make the same mistake next time, huh?"

Chihiro nodded. _N-next time? T-that would be really nice. It's kind of lonely to keep walking home alone._ "Well, e-excuse me, Minato-san." She said as she began to walk in the other direction.

**Author's Note:** Oookay... Sorry for the long update guys! I was almost considering putting the story on hold since there were so few reviews... **sigh**. It's disheartening you know... writing so much and not even receiving 10 reviews. But I'm back and still continuing this story! Please do review!

Thanaty0003: Thanks for your support! And I will continue the story, pal. Not to worry! :D

KnightNDay: As for the status updates... I'm sorry for not posting one right now. But since they didn't go to Tartarus, S.E.E.S stays the same. :D

PhotoJackster: No. This fanfic isn't dead. I was just disheartened by the few reviews. Lol. Don't worry! I'm still continuing though.

TheChosenOne: Oh, thanks for bearing with my confusing POV's!

LonelyDessert: I find it odd that your the only one who noticed that. :D Lol. I am leaning towards Mitsuru now. But we can't really say for sure because her link only starts so near the END of the game.

LostWriter: Why a Chihiro pairing? Not that I don't like our favorite Librarian er... Student Council member... it's just... Why her?

Angelica101,VinEscape&2Time-er: Don't you think a MinxYukari pairing is overused? But if I get sick of waiting for Mitsuru, then she's a close second!


	14. Chapter 13: Rumor Has It

Chapter 13 - Rumor Has It

June 03, 2009, After School

Gekkoukan High

Minato's POV

WEDNESDAY

I exited my classroom and walked around, searching for someone to ask about the rumors. I approached a girl outside the Student Council Room.

"Hey, did you hear?" She asked me.

"No, I haven't." I answered. _Hm... Have I found a lead in this girl?_

The girl looked pleased at knowing something someone else didn't, and giddily told me... "Mitsuru-senpai would want a man who likes to study!"

I stared at her for a moment and wondered where my_ lead_ went. "Um... Okay." I sighed and put two fingers to my temple. _Why would I even care about what kind of man Kirijo likes? _

Undeterred by my disinterest, the girl went on about how maybe Kirijo would accept her if she was smart and studied hard.

_I don't really think that's it._ "Uh, good luck then?" I said as I walked away.

After that, I walked around some more to hear all sorts of weird horror stories about _last PA statements and corpses covered in bright red blood_ and the like. I was just about to give up until I overheard a girl saying that her sister was classmates with one of the students who collapsed.

"I guess she was running away from home as well... I heard she was always hanging around with the thugs at _that place_..." She was saying.

_That place? _I approached her and asked, "What place are you talking about?"

"Oh, Minato-san." She fidgeted a bit. "Um, well..."

"I'm just curious about it." I gave her an encouraging smile. "I might stumble into _that place _without knowing."

"Oh, I don't think someone like you would go there." She hesitated. "But well, it's that shady place near the station. I hear a lot of thugs hang out there."

"Thugs, huh?" I thanked her for the information. _Thugs? Could this be a gang related incident? But Yukari said that the student who collapsed looked fine only a few days ago. Hm... Drugs then? It might account for the sudden collapse but... the effects would surely be noticeable. _

I sighed and scratched my head. _There isn't any pattern to the victims either. They were all in different grades, classes and clubs. The only thing that seems to tie them together is that... Shady place. _I smiled. _It's been some time since I last dealt with things like this. Might not be a bad idea to pay these... thugs a visit. _

However, in my contemplation, I forgot about the time. _"_Ack! I'm going to be late for the meeting!"

STUDENT COUNCIL ROOM

However, when I opened the door, only Hidetoshi was there. "Oh, it was a quick meeting. Everyone left already." He said as he piled some papers together.

"Oh. Why are you still here then?" I reached for some papers and help Hidetoshi pile them.

"

It's actually kind of nice not having those hyenas around." He shrugged.

I raised my eyebrows. "Hyenas?"

Hidetoshi cocked his head to one side. "Well, not all of them are. But I see the way they look at me." He put the gathered papers away. "About the cigarette butt in the boys' bathroom... I've been trying to catch the culprit."

"I kind of got that already." I told him bluntly, remembering Hidetoshi _interrogating_ some students.

Hidetoshi smirked. "Well, as you can see, the meeting's over. You can leave anytime you want."

I shook my head and sat down on one of the chairs. "I just got here and you're already trying to make me leave?" I laughed.

He laughed as well. "If you say so." He walked over to the window overlooking the courtyard. "A man without position, honor or education... What can he cling to as he struggles through life? _Sincerity_, a man once told me."

I nodded and waited for him to continue.

"Do you want to know what happened to that man?" He frowned. "Some TV anchorwoman was injured on the job while gathering information for a story. The TV station's executives called it an 'unfortunate accident'." He shook his head. "But when a magazine learned that they were hiding something, the execs pointed the finger at the script writer."

"The sript writer?" I asked. "So they made him the scapegoat, huh?"

Hidetoshi nodded. "The script writer is currently serving time for perjury. It was that very same script writer who taught me the meaning of sincerity." He bit his lip and looked at the ground. "But sincerity means nothing in today's society. The weak are preyed upon by the strong!"

Hidetoshi walked away from the window and sat next to me. "I'd like to create a corporation where everyone is treated fairly. But in order to do that, I'd need enough power to make my vision a reality."

"So that's why." I smiled. "Thanks for sharing that, Hidetoshi."

He laughed. "You may have a future as a counselor someday." He looked outside again. "It's getting dark out. We should be going home."

June 04, 2009, Morning

Gekkoukan High

Yukari yawned as we approached the school gates. "I spent so much time thinking about those stupid ghost stories that I'm having nightmares."

I laughed. "Well, don't overdo it. You might hear things in you sleep."

She glared at me. "Hmph. Well _you_ look like you're enjoying this. Excited for a new mystery to solve, Mr. Detective?"

_Huh? W-wait... Detective..? _I stopped in my tracks and looked at her questioningly.

"I-its just that... I dunno. Never mind." Yukari said and walked ahead.

_Detective huh? If you only knew.  
><em>

AFTER SCHOOL

IWATODAI STRIP MALL - BOOKWORMS USED BOOKS

I went with Chihiro to the bookstore after school. _Well, she certainly looks like the type of person who loves books..._

"Sorry for subjecting you to this." She said as we exited the store.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I had fun." I laughed.

"Huh?" She looked surprised. "You also like to read books, Minato-san?"

_Okaay... Apparently, I'm the one who doesn't look like the type to read books. Hehe. _"Yeah. I read books now and then. It's a relaxing pastime."

"I know!" Chihiro beamed at me. "But um... Well, sorry if I ignored you. I was just so busy searching through the books... And um, sorry I took so long."

_...Er, someone's really insecure. _"Look, I told you. Don't worry about it." I laughed. "Oh and what kind of books do you like? Most of what I read are classics."

"Really?" She beamed at me again. "The classics aren't very entertaining but I can respect what the authors are trying to accomplish." She looked around us. "Oh, but um... We may be disturbing other patrons."

We walked away from the bookstore and towards the other sections of the strip mall. "Minato-san?" Chihiro asked. "Is it... Boring to hang out with a nerd like me?"

I scratched the back of my head. "Uh yeah. It kinda is."

Chihiro stopped walking. "Oh." She looked as if she wanted the ground to swallow her whole.

I sighed. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry." I walked over to where she stopped and patted her head. "I was just kidding, Chihiro." I laughed. "You've gotta loosen up."

She looked up at me then, with a question mark in her eyes.

"Look here. If it gets _boring_ to hang out with you, I'll tell you. Okay?" I removed my hand from her head. "Don't worry about it so much."

"U-um... Okay." She nodded. "T-thank you, Minato-san."

"See? That's better." I smiled. "Let's go home."

June 05, 2009, After School

Gekkoukan High

Student Council Room

I sat down on one of the chairs at the Student Council room. It seemed like I was the last to enter the room.

_Oh, look at that. Mitsuru's here for once. _

"The other day, I was talking about the cigarette butt in the boys' bathroom. The teachers want the student to be expelled as soon as I find out who it is." Hidetoshi reported.

"H-huh?" Chihiro stammered.

Soon, the student council room became noisy as accusations and insinuations were thrown back and forth.

"Enough!" Mitsuru stood up and laid her palms on the table. "We'll go nowhere arguing like this." The student council members quited down after that, although they were still throwing glances at each other.

"This meeting is adjourned." She looked at me. "Arisato, help Hidetoshi with his investigation."

I raised my eyebrows. "Understood."

Soon, only Hidetoshi and I remained inside the room.

"Expulsion, huh?" Hidetoshi leaned on the table. "What do you think?"

"Uh, about the smoker's punishment?" I folded my arms. "It's too extreme. A few weeks suspension for the first offense would be more appropriate."

He nodded. "I agree." He shook his head. "Expulsion is too extreme. When I catch the culprit, I'll give him a good lecturing. It would be nice to make people like him... Or her change. I don't usually sympathize with rule-breakers but... would kicking the "bad" kids out really make the school a better place?" He sighed and looked at me. "I-I don't know why I'm complaining. I guess I'm just confused since I'm so powerless."

"Powerless?" I asked. "Hm... But if you follow this teacher's orders...then you'll gain his trust, right?"

Hidetoshi cocked his head to one side. "Yes. And then I'll gain the power to make people listen to me."

"Creepy."

Hidetoshi looked at me, confused. "Oh, I see. You're joking." He laughed quietly. "Anyway, just watch me, Minato-kun. I'll work my way to the top!"

I laughed. "Just be careful, Hidetoshi. And tell me if you need anything. Wouldn't want the president to say I'm not doing my job."

He laughed too. "You go on ahead, Minato-kun. I'll stay here and make a list of suspects."

EVENING

IWATODAI DORM

As I came in, Yukari and Junpei were already sitting on the couches at the lounge.

"Did I miss anything?" I asked as I sat beside Junpei. Both of them shook their heads.

"Okay, as we agreed on Monday, we will now hold a meeting to discuss what we learned." Yukari started.

"Wow, you're really into this." Junpei rudely interrupted.

"Of course! I've got lots of good info." She beamed. "No angry ghost was involved after all."

"Oh. So that's what's important, huh?" Junpei sighed.

"Well, angry ghost aside, why don't we talk about how this rumor got started?" I suggested.

"You too?" Junpei complained. "Ugh. Fine."

"Since the girl was found on school grounds, there's at least one similarity to the ghost story. But, why did the rumor spread so fast, if this was the first time anything happened?" Yukari asked.

"Uh, because of her dying message?" Junpei offered.

"No." I sighed. "First of all, the girl didn't _die_. And second, was because there were three victims."

"Correct!" Yukari said like a proud teacher.

_...Why do I suddenly get the feeling that I'm in a quiz show?_

"But, I've gotta admit. I was surprised when I found out the reason." She continued. "Over the next few days, there were two more similar incidents."

I nodded. "And all three of them had to be hospitalized. Which is why the rumors spread so quickly."

"But the funny thing is. The victims were all in different classes, and they don't seem to be connected." Yukari said.

"Huh?" Junpei questioned. "But didn't they, like, hang out together?"

I smirked. "Oh yeah. They did." I leaned on the backrest of the couch. "But the big question is, _where_ did they hang out together."

"You guys are enjoying this aren't ya?" Junpei sighed again. "Fine. I'll bite. _Where_ did they hang out?"

"That shady area near the station." I answered.

"What?!" Junpei exclaimed.

"Uh huh. And not just once or twice either. They got in with a bad crowed and were always out late." Yukari smiled. (rather eerily) "So, to find out what happened, were going to do some field research."

Yukari and I looked at Junpei's pale face. "_You_ want _us_ to do _field research?_!" Junpei then looked at me. "Man, c'mon. Don't tell me you're going along with this."

I looked at Yukari, then Junpei, then at Yukari again. "Well..." I shook my head. "I don't think we have a choice." I told Junpei. "You're not going to let Yukari go alone, are you?"

Junpei looked down, defeated. "Damn it. Don't you think were getting in a little way over our heads?"

"Up until now, the only thing we've done is take orders." Yukari told Junpei.

_Ah, I see. Using that trump card, huh?_

"Does that feel right to you?" She continued.

"Did you really have to say it like that?" Junpei sighed. "Argh. Fine."

Yukari gave a triumphant smile. "All right then. We'll go tomorrow night."

"I just hope you guys know what you're doing..." Junpei moaned as he collapsed on the couch.

LATE NIGHT

I was just about to enter my room when I was approached by Mitsuru. "Do you have a moment, Arisato?"

"Uh, what is it, senpai?" I asked warily.

"I'm quite impressed that you managed to gather so much information in such a short amount of time." She nodded.

_Was that a compliment? ... _"Um, thanks?"

She nodded again. "I hope that you'll be able to use those detective skills of yours to aid Odagiri."

_! _

"And I don't know what you're planning, but don't overdo it." Mitsuru turned around. "Good night."

MINATO'S ROOM

"_I hope that you'll be able to use those detective skills of yours to aid Odagiri."_

_Is she... on to me? Did she find out?_

_..._ My mind flashed back to the papers she was reading in the Command Room.

_They were papers on us. But... There shouldn't be anything meaningful there relating to me. I made sure of that. _

_..._

_Then what did she mean? _

_And she also said "...I don't know what you're planning, but don't overdo it." Was... was that a veiled threat? _

I sighed and laid myself down on my bed. _Damn it. I-i'm just overanalyzing things. She just wanted me to do my job, that's all..._

I sat up again. _There's a very slim chance that Kirijo found anything... But if she did... It would be disastrous for me. _

"Argh. I should never have left home." I stood up and washed my face.

_But if I didn't leave home then,... _I sighed. _Forget it. It's too late to turn back now. If I go back home, I'll never find out._

_**Author's Note:**_ Yo, guys! I am soo sorry for the SUPER LONG DELAY. :( But instead of showering you with abundant sorry's, I'm just going to try and make up for my absence. By giving you cliffhangers. MWAHAHA!

Just kidding. Don't worry, the cliffhanger will be solved soon... In, like a few hours or so, since I'm nearly done with the 14th chapter. :) Again, thanks for reading guys! And do REVIEW!

Till next time!_**  
><strong>_


	15. Chapter 14: Thug Beatdown

_**Chapter 14 – Thug Beatdown**_

_June 06, 2009 - After School_

_Gekkoukan High_

SATURDAY

"A monk that hangs out in clubs?" I asked Yuko as we walked down the hall. "Isn't that kind of... I don't know... Against their rules or something?"

"Hey, don't ask me." Yuko shrugged. "I just heard it from the rumors." She shuddered. "Speaking of rumors, what do you think about those students? The ones who collapsed?"

I shook my head. "Something doesn't add up, that's for sure."

She suddenly punched my arm. "Hey! Are you just saying those things to scare me?"

"Huh?" I rubbed the arm that she punched. "Um... no?" _I'm just distracted because of our plans for tonight..._

"Whatever. Hey, c'mon let's go to Paulownia Mall." Yuko pouted, then ran ahead.

_EVENING_

_IWATODAI DORM_

I went home as soon as Yuko and I parted with the kids we met at the Mall.

_Yuko as a coach, huh? I can imagine that._ I chuckled. _Those poor kids gotta be ready for some hard work._

"Everybody's here." Yukari stood up from her seat on the couch. "C'mon. Let's get going."

Junpei sighed. "Are you really that excited for this? I still think this is a bad idea." He was still sitting on the couch. "I mean, how can you be afraid of ghosts, but not be afraid of this?"

"It's easier to be scared of something you can't see, don'tcha think?"

"Actually, I'm more worried about things I _can _see... Like _bats_ and _knives_." Junpei argued.

Yukari sighed. "Ugh. So it's a little dangerous... Just think of it as an adventure!"

Junpei grudgingly stood up. "More like a suicide mission." He muttered.

I scratched the back of my head as they argued. Again... "This isn't really the best idea, I know." Yukari turned to glare at me. "But let's just get this over with." I said before she could interrupt.

"How can you be so calm with this?!" Junpei exclaimed.

_Well, considering that I've faced worse enemies than thugs before... _

"The two of you are crazy..." He sighed.

_PORT ISLAND STATION, BACK ALLEY_

"What's up with those three?" Some thug asked as we approached their group. "Those uniforms... Hey, those're Gekkou's!"

"Erk... This is bad... Worse than I realized." Junpei said as he looked at the punks surrounding us.

"Stupei! Stop gawking!" Yukari whispered.

"I can't help i-"

"Hey, you." One punk -presumably the leader- said intimidatingly. "I think you're in the wrong place."

I looked around us. _Hmph. Classic thug behavior... Surround the prey so they can't escape as the leader takes first blood... Although the leader has to do some posturing first so he/she doesn't seem weak._

"_..._don't belong here." The leader was saying as he walked up to us. "Get it?"

"U-um... Well." Junpei stammered.

"I said, beat it, goatee!" The punk yelled.

"G-Goatee?" Junpei stepped back. "Oh, you must mean me." He laughed weakly.

"We don't need your permission to be here." Yukari suddenly stepped forward.

"Ooh. Feisty." The punk leader laughed to his cronies.

"H-hey, are you crazy?" Junpei whispered to Yukari. "Take a look around you!"

Yukari scoffed at Junpei's warning. "C'mon. Don't be intimidated by these scum!"

"Scum? She just called us scum!" One female crony complained. "We'll post some pics that'll make her daddy cry!" She laughed.

"These punks are the worst." Yukari muttered as she clenched her fists.

"And you!" Another crony pointed at me. "What's your deal just standin' like that, huh? Ya think you're cool or sumthin'?"

I only responded with a cool stare, causing the crony to come closer. The crony had some sort of chain connecting his nose to... His ear. One of those people who pierce themselves all over.

"I asked ya sumthin' punk." He said to my face. "Got nothing to say for yerself'?"

"That's pretty impressive." I blandly stated.

"Huh?" The crony was taken aback by my statement.

"You chained your nose to your face so you wouldn't lose it." I said with a bored look, making his punk friends laugh.

"_Makes sense now!"_

"_Ooh! Burn!"_

"_He was rather forgetful. Hahaha!"_

The crony, having lost face in front of his _gang_, retaliated in the only way he knew how. He punched me... Or at least tried to. I dodged his punch and ducked to avoid his back swing. As he stepped back, I sidestepped to avoid his rising left knee. I grabbed his raised knee, raised it further, and then kicked his right foot to make him lose his footing. As a result, he fell on his backside... Rather painfully.

Seeing their friend on the ground, the thugs perceived us as a threat. They stepped closer, menacing looks on their faces.

"That's enough." A voice came from the other end of the alley.

The punks turned around to see who had spoken. Someone dressed in a familiar maroon-violet trench coat and wore a beanie approached us.

"It's the guy from the hospital!" Junpei noticed.

"They didn't know what they were getting into." The guy from the other day said. "I'll make sure they leave. Alright?"

"Who do you think you are, huh?" The punk leader said, apparently not satisfied until he had his revenge. "You want some o' this too?" He punched the guy from the other day... Or at least tried to.

Shinjiro, -I think that was his name- caught the punk's fist and brought him closer. He then head-butted the punk and sent him to the ground.

The punk clutched his broken nose and moaned. "Aagh. Damn you, Shinjiro. Y-you just crossed the line!" He gasped. "You t-think you're going home alive?!"

Shinjiro was unfazed, however. "Wanna give it a try?"

"U-uh..." The punk stood up from the ground. "S-screw this! C'mon!" He left the alley with the females calling him a loser.

"D-damn it Shijiro!" The punk's buddy yelled as backed away from us. "Y-you're from Gekkou High too aren't ya? Y-you better grow eyes at the back of your head!" He turned around and ran after the leader.

Junpei let out the breath he was holding. "That was awesome, Senpai!"

"Hey, I remember you... You clowns were in Aki's room at the hospital." Shinjiro-senpai rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "You idiots!"

**Hee-ho! Won't the beanie man make up his mind, Master?**

_What do you mean, Jack Frost?_

**He called you clowns and then he called you idiots. Hee-ho! Which is it really, Master?**

I couldn't help but snicker at Jack Frost's observation, which made Shinjiro-senpai turn to me. "And you!" he pointed. "You find this funny? You nearly got your butts handed to you there."

"I... Um…"

"You may be able to handle yourself in a fight with your fancy dodging, kid." He exclaimed. "But what are you gonna do when those punks go after your friends?"

_Ack... *sigh* I'm so used to working alone, that I forgot about that... _

"Tch. Get outta here." Shinjiro-senpai turned around. "This place isn't for you."

Senpai got a few feet away from us when Yukari ran up to him and asked to wait. She told him that we had a reason for coming here.

"Did Aki tell you to come here?" He asked.

"Akihiko-senpai? No, he didn't." I replied.

"Hmph. You wanna know about that ghost story didn't cha?" He shook his head. "It's a rumor. Those who wound up the hospital were here talkin' shit every night... About the things they'd done to some girl named Fuuka."

"Fuuka..? Could you mean Fuuka Yamagishi from 2-E? But why would they pick on her?" Yukari asked.

"I dunno." Senpai answered. "I guess that's why people are saying Fuuka's spirit did it."

"S-spirit?" Yukari blanched at the thought of more ghosts. "W-what do you mean by that?"

_Spirit? Could this be the root of those horror stories? Come to think of it... I heard it from some of her classmates that Fuuka called in sick and hasn't been to school for a while. _

"This Fuuka girl might be dead." Senpai was saying. "She hasn't been home in over a week."

_Dead?_

"Seriously?" I scratched the back of my head. "But the only thing we've heard is that she's sick."

"But it turns out... She was missing?" Junpei continued.

"Mr. Ekoda is the homeroom teacher for 2-E right? Does he know about this?" Yukari shook her head.

"Hmph. I get it, Aki... Still trying to make up for the past... It's you who can't let go." Shijiro-senpai muttered, causing the three of us to look at him curiously. "Nothing..." He turned away. "Satisfied now?"

"Y-Yeah! Thanks, senpai!" Junpei elbowed me. "C'mon. Show some appreciation."

_So this Fuuka might be dead, huh? This could mean a thousand things... She could be hiding to avoid her bullies, or she could be hiding for another reason entirely... She could also have run away from home... But her parents..._

"Have her parents approached the police? If she was really missing..." I trailed off.

"Do I look like the type of guy who's close with the police?" Senpai smirked. "I dunno about that, but your best bet is that adviser, Ekoda. He might've _neglected_ his duties in order to save his career. Tch."

I nodded. "Thanks for everything, senpai."

"...I didn't do nothin."

"You even gave us a hint!" Yukari ignored senpai's modesty. "Y-you're very kind."

"Huh?"

"I...um. Never mind." Yukari paled a bit.

Senpai shook his head again. "Hmph. Just don't come here again." And despite his harsh words, we could sense the kindness from them. Shinjiro-senpai turned around and left without another word.

Junpei feebly laughed. "Hey, c'mon guys. Let's go home. Now that senpai's gone, who knows when those punks will show up again."

_June 07, 2009 – Evening_

_Club Escapade_

SUNDAY

I entered Escapade in the hopes of meeting the '_clubbing Monk'_ Yuko was telling me about. _Although, it was weird that I got through the front door with no hassle at all…_

Near the entrance was some weird woman saying that I have a _weird aura_, she said that my future was bathed in both light and shadow and then asked if I wanted to hear my fortune.

"Do I have to pay anything?" I asked, wary of scams.

The woman chuckled. "No, you do not. Letting me see your fortune is payment enough."

I looked around to see if someone was paying attention to our discussion. Some onlookers looked at us, probably surprised at the weird pair we made. And that was a good thing.

_So, the others can see her. That's a good thing, then. At least she's human and not a demon as I previously thought…_

I turned back to the fortune-telling woman. "Maybe next time, Miss."

There was a bartender near the stairs. "And what'll ya have? ...Hey, aren't you too young to be in here?"

I was considering showing her my detective's badge –however unused it was- until I realized she wasn't going to throw me out. "Just don't cause any trouble, alright?" she said. I went up the stairs and saw what –or in the case, who- I came here for.

"Where's my booze?!" The monk yelled at me. "*hic* Where is it, huh? Where's my booze?" He drank his glass dry. "I don't got nothin' to say to any who doesn't have any booze."

I sighed and went downstairs to get his drink. "I ordered your brandy." I told him once I got back upstairs.

The monk huffed, he actually looked pleased. "You're awfully young, kid. You still in high school?" He laughed. "What're the employees thinkin', lettin' you in…? Well, since you've been so _good_ to me… *hic* I'll pretend I'm your parent so they don't throw you out."

I shrugged and sat down beside him.

"Wanted to see where the adults hang out, huh?" The monk laughed. "Well, don't worry kid. In a few years or so, you'll be old enough to hang out here unsupervised." He put his glass down. "No need to hurry, ya hear? Actin' like an adult only makes you look more like a kid."

"That sounds pretty funny coming from an alcoholic, cigar-smoking monk." I smiled.

"Heh. Yeah, it does." The monk huffed again. "You look nothin' like those punks I see runnin' 'round town these days… Can't say the same for my son though… Always bein' questioned by the police."

"_Thou art I… And I art thou…"_ The voice signalling the establishment of a new social link called me.

The monk suddenly waved his hand upwards, telling me to stand up. "Get outta here, kid. Go home, be with your girlfriend. You can spend the rest o' your sorry adult life here when you're older. *hic*"

I stood up, still caught in the effects of the S-Link. "I'm gonna remember your face, kid." The monk was saying. "You don't belong in a place like this…*hic*"

_Outside Club Escapade_

I shook my head once I got outside. _I don't even know why I did that. Since when did I go to clubs just to verify a rumor? _I scratched the back of my neck. _*sigh* Oh well, at least I established a new S-link._

_June 08, 2009 – Lunchtime_

_Gekkoukan High, Faculty Office_

MONDAY

Intrigued by what Shinjiro-senpai told us on Saturday, Yukari, Junpei and I decided to ask Mr. Ekoda about Fuuka's circumstances. But apparently, we weren't the only ones who had the same idea.

"Oh, Mitsuru-senpai. Why are you here?" Yukari asked.

"Same reason as you three are." She turned to Mr. Ekoda. "Mr. Ekoda, I'm here to ask you about a student named Fuuka Yamagishi…"

"No!" Mitsuru's brunette companion protested. "I-I never thought it'd turn out like this… Fuuka…"

"Who's this, senpai?" I motioned to the brunette.

"W-wait! You're that girl…" Yukari answered me instead. "You were one of those who were bullying Fuuka!"

"Huh?" Junpei scratched his head. "But didn't they all… collapse?"

"I know. Which is why Moriyama is here." Mitsuru-senpai replied. "What did you do to Yamagishi?" She asked the terrified girl.

"This isn't an interrogation, Mitsuru." Ekoda chastised. "Natsuki, you don't have to say anything if you don't want to."

"I see." I blandly stated. "Isn't that the same thing you did, Mr. Ekoda? _Not say anything if you didn't want to?_"

"W-what?" Ekoda angrily turned to me. "What are you saying, Arisato?"

"What I'm saying is, all this time you've written down Fuuka's absence as 'due to illness'." I folded my arms. "But you should have known that she was, in fact. _Missing._"

Ekoda blanched at my statements but was saved from responding when Natsuki Moriyama spoke up. "Fuuka… she always looked so frazzled whenever we gave her a hard time… then, I realized. She's an honor student, but deep inside, she's just the same as us." Moriyama continued as if she was in a trance. "I knew exactly which buttons to push. We… we were just messing that day too!"

"What day?" Yukari asked. "When?"

"May 29th." Moriyama answered. "We took her to the gym and locked the door from the outside."

"You… locked the door from the outside?" Junpei repeated. "You locked her in?!"

With each of Natsuki Moriyama's admissions, she quickly lost any sympathy any of us might have held for her. Ekoda was getting paler and paler, too. Moriyama revealed that Maki, another student who bullied Fuuka, returned to school alone to free Fuuka because she was afraid Fuuka would commit suicide.

"Maki never came back… a-and the next morning…"

"She was found lying on the ground by the gate." Yukari finished.

Moriyama said that she hurried to the Gym to let Fuuka out, but found that the door was still locked. When she opened the door to find no one inside, all of them freaked out.

"Every night we would look for her. But every night another one of us went missing… and they all ended up like Maki!" Moriyama shivered.

The room was silent. All of us had stern looks on our faces with the exception of Ekoda and Moriyama.

_Fuuka was left alone overnight in the school and she wasn't there when Moriyama opened the door to let her out. Which only means that Fuuka didn't Transmogrify into a coffin. _

"By the way, Mr. Ekoda." Mitsuru-senpai spoke up. "What was your intention in relating Fuuka's absences as 'due to illness'?"

Ekoda must have gathered himself as Moriyama confessed since he confidently answered. "I was thinking of the students, of course. You children may not understand, but we have to consider the future of everyone affected."

_Children…?_

"_The future of everyone affected, _huh?" I glared at him. "Don't you mean for _the future of your teaching career_?" I gritted my teeth in anger.

Ekoda paled and wiped his palms on his pants. "O-of course not! It was in Ms. Yamagishi's best interest. I wouldn't want her records to be stained by something like this." He was obviously thinking of a way out. "Her parents agree!"

I saw Mitsuru's eye twitch as she moved closer to Ekoda. "So to protect your career, you ignored your responsibility as a teacher… How despicable!" She spat out the word _despicable_ as she fumed.

"I-I… no." Ekoda couldn't meet our eyes as we glared at him. _Guilty as charged. "_I was just…" His sweat gathered on his forehead and he fidgeted in his seat."

Mitsuru-senpai soon deemed the teacher as below her notice and turned back to Moriyama. The latter flinched as if she was expecting a lashing as hard as the one Mitsuru gave Ekoda. "About your friends…" The council president let out a breath to calm herself. "Did you notice anything about them? Anything at all?" Her voice softened.

_Have to hand it to Ms. Kirijo, she's not so bad at interrogation. Hm… the good cop, bad cop routine is always a classic. Although in this case, she's both._

**And what are you?** Angel.

_I don't do the good cop, bad cop routine, Angel._

"They all heard a voice." Moriyama answered. "A creepy one. And… and it was always right before each of them went missing. They said it was calling their name."

"Oh maan…" Junpei muttered.

"And you haven't heard this… voice?" I blandly asked.

Moriyama looked down and bit her lip. _Did I say something?_

**I would say you're the bad cop, Master.**

Mitsuru glared at me and slightly shook her head. "You haven't heard this voice?" She asked the same question I did.

"No…" Moriyama answered, causing me to roll my eyes.

"It's them isn't it?" Yukari piped up.

Mitsuru-senpai nodded as she left the shaken Moriyama's side. "Until now, there was no way of knowing how or why some people are conscious during the Dark Hour… It must be the voice that draws them in. It's not a random phenomenon."

"But why this? Are they specifically targeting humans?" Junpei muttered. "They're pulled into the Dark Hour by a voice?"

The four of us remained silent for a while. Mitsuru-senpai turned to Moriyama. "Stay at our dorm tonight. It's the safest place." The shaken girl could only nod in affirmation.

I sent a questioning look towards the redhead. "You're sure about this, senpai?"

Yukari frowned. "It's the only thing we can do, Minato."

I just nodded and looked at Ekoda and Natsuki. _I have a bad feeling about this…_

"Fuuka…" Natsuki sighed. 

_AFTER SCHOOL_

_GEKKOUKAN HIGH, STUDENT COUNCIL ROOM_

Junpei, Yukari and I gathered in the Student Council Room as soon as school was over.

"I've always wanted to see the inside of this place…" Junpei said to himself as we waited for our senpais. He went around the room, touching the tables and looking out the window. I even caught him looking longingly at Mitsuru's lone desk which faced the entrance.

"You think senpai'll mind…?" Junpei said as he reached for the chair.

"Keep your hands off that, Stupei." Yukari sighed. "You know she's going to come in any moment now… How d'you think she'll react to seeing _you_ at her chair?"

True enough, the door opened just a moment later.

"Tonight, we will infiltrate the campus. Our objective is to rescue Fuuka Yamagishi." Mitsuru-senpai said as soon as we were all gathered.

"Um, I don't get it… Is Fuuka inside the school somewhere?" Junpei asked.

"And why at night?" Yukari inquired. "At midnight, this place turns into-"

"Exactly." I interrupted, eager to get to the point. "You remember that Fuuka Yamagishi might've been a new team member since she had the potential?"

"Yeah… but-"

"Well, people who have the potential, like you and me, don't transmogrify during the Dark Hour. Meaning, Fuuka is _still_ stuck in the school." I sighed and put my palms on the table. "In Tartarus, to be exact."

"So… you mean Fuuka's been there since she was locked inside the Gym?!" Junpei exclaimed. "But… that was like ten days ago!"

"Would that mean…?" Yukari trailed off.

"Not necessarily. We can't jump to conclusions." Akihiko-senpai reasoned. "Tartarus only appears during the Dark Hour. So, what about the rest of the day? This is only a theory, but I think time may function differently with respect to Tartarus."

"So you're saying that Fuuka's only been in Tartarus for… 10 hours?" Yukari asked.

Akihiko-senpai nodded. "It's possible that she's still alive."

"Uh, but the Dark Hour's pretty brutal." Junpei argued. "We can barely handle an hour, and that's all four of us inside… how is _she_ gonna last ten?"

"And even if she's still alive, how are we even going to find her?" Yukari added.

"Are you just gonna let her die, then?!" Akihiko-senpai exclaimed, surprising all of us. "… I have an idea."

_Ah, a plan. Now we're talking…_

"Let's plan to enter Tartarus exactly how Fuuka did." He said.

"We'll go to the Gym and wait for midnight. That's the quickest way." Mitsuru-senpai added, then she hesitated. "Honestly, I still have reservations. If something goes wrong, you could all end up lost in Tartarus too."

Akihiko-senpai shook his head. "I won't stand by and do nothing if there's a chance we can save her… I would never forgive myself. If you guys won't go, then I'll go by myself."

The rest of us hung our heads in shame and in admiration of Akihiko-senpai. _He's serious too. He's not just saying it…_

"… Alright." Mitsuru-senpai stated. "We're aware of the risks, but we can't just leave Yamigishi there."

"And we won't know until we try, after all." Yukari agreed.

"Heh." I smiled. "So… we're breaking in?" 

**Author's Note:** Heya! There, quick update. Expect the 16th chapter to come by this week too. I meant it when I said, I'm not giving up! Haha. Oh, and as for the reviewers telling me to go with MinatoxMitsuru… Well, you got your wish! ;)

Team Status

**Minato Arisato: **Lvl 17

**Yukari Takeba: Lvl 15**

**Junpei Iori: Lvl 15**

**Akihiko Sanada: Lvl 16**

S-Links

**Fool: **SEES, Rank 3

**Magician:** Classmate, Rank 4

**Emperor: **Student Council, Rank 7

**Hierophant: **Old Couple, Rank 2

**Chariot: **Kendo Team, Rank 7

**Justice:** Treasurer, Rank 2

**Hermit:** Online Game, Rank 4

**Strength:** Team Manager, Rank 5

**Tower: **Unusual Monk, Rank 1

Review Responses:

Erebus13: A Japanese Skynet? Haha. Fear the anime Terminators! Although… the Kirijo Group already has its fair share of robots… Er, I mean Anti-shadow units.

Winter Antartica: I will definitely take your advice, Sir/Madam! In fact… I have one planned already mwaha!

That Guy: I would have responded to you in a PM but since you're an Anon, I'll just do it here. Thanks! And your opinion matters, of course. ;) I will definitely do my best to keep the story fresh. Haha.

KraadDrasfield: I'll keep that in mind when I get down. Haha. Thanks for the support!

AshCoveredWarrior: Thanks! And haha. I find Minato's personality cool too. BD.

"Other anons": Hi guys! Thanks for reading and reviewing my story. Thanks for the

support!

"Other reviewers": Thanks for the support guys! I'll update this story as regularly as I can from now on.

**P.S:** I've gotten some reviews about the lack of Skylark related detail (Hi, HeavensLuminousArc!). And hm… well, if more of you guys are itching to know about Skylark and Minato's past, more detail on that will be covered in the following chapters. ;) It's coming. Brace yourselves. xD


	16. Chapter 15: Fuuka Yamagishi

_**Chapter 15 – Fuuka Yamagishi**_

_June 08, 2009 – Late Night_

_Iwatodai Dorm, Command Room_

All of us gathered in the Command Room after Mitsuru-senpai sent Natsuki Moriyama upstairs.

"This is a bit worrisome… I can't get ahold of the Chairman." She punched some buttons on her cellphone. "Without the Chairman's help, I'm not sure how we can get inside the school…"

"You don't have some sort of key?" I asked her. "I thought your family owns the school…?"

She sighed, exasperated. "My family's _corporation_ owns the school. But even then, that doesn't mean I can just go in anytime I want to."

_Huh. Why is that, I wonder? _

Unfortunately, she caught my suspicious stare and glared at me. "We don't have time for this, Arisato. We need to find a way to get inside the scho-"

"Why are you guys are arguing?" Junpei chuckled –what he was chuckling about, I had no idea-. "No need to worry. I've got it all set to go."

_Set… to go?_

"Set to go?" Mitsuru repeated. "An explosive?" She chuckled. "Alright, I'll let you handle this." She walked away towards the dorm's exit, leaving us juniors behind.

"…An explosive? For real?" Yukari asked, awed.

"…" Junpei shrugged. "Nah. All I did was unlock a door."

I rolled my eyes. _Leave it to her to pick the most dramatic entrance._

_Gekkoukan High, 2__nd__ Floor Hallway_

We got in without incident as Junpei easily opened the backdoor.

"So, you unlocked it earlier… _Tres bien_!"

"_Oui._ No time for compliments. Let's go."

The two seniors hurried on ahead. "Trey Ben… we?" Junpei scratched his head. "Are those French? Lousy seniors and their lousy French…"

Yukari and I were unable to contain our snickers.

_Classroom 2-F_

"Can we turn on the lights…?" Yukari pleaded.

"Aww, you scared?" Junpei cooed.

"No!" Yukari glared at him. "…Stupei."

And for the first time since I heard Yukari call Junpei, _Stupei_, he protested to being called that.

"Quiet." Akihiko-senpai admonished the two. "It's better if we leave them off anyway. They cut the power at night."

Yukari frowned at this and looked around our classroom warily. "What're we even doing here? Fuuka's classroom is two doors away…"

"We have to find the key to the Gym." Mitsuru-senpai answered. "Akihiko and I will check the janitor's room. You three check the Faculty Office."

"Understood." I nodded and walked nearer to the door. It wasn't so hard to see since it was a full moon tonight.

_Full moon? Isn't that what that Ghost Kid was telling me about? _

I was interrupted by Junpei's panicked outburst. "It-it was a joke! I'd never do something like that! Haha… ha."

"All I meant by 'interesting' was that there was a higher chance of finding the key there…" Akihiko-senpai sighed.

_Where? _

"Iori, you're coming with us." Mitsuru-senpai said, then walked away. The other two men followed her.

"I thought Junpei was coming with us?" I asked Yukari once we were alone.

She looked at me weirdly.

_I must have missed something. _I sighed. "Never mind."

_But really, what was it about the Full moon that that Kid was warning me about…?_

Yukari and I exited our classroom as quietly as we could. I looked at both ends of the hallway. Predictably, no one else was there and the only sound we could hear was some dog howling at the moon. Yukari frowned and I followed her as she descended the stairs.

Walking ahead of me, Yukari suddenly stopped, making me stop as well. "Do you hear that?" She whispered.

I smiled. "Relax, Yukari. There's no one but us in here." I was just about to continue walking when I saw a beam of light move ahead of us. A flashlight beam. "Security!" I whispered. I ran over to the nearest pillar and dragged Yukari in front of me. She made a surprised whimper as the guard's footsteps came closer. Yukari pressed herself harder against the pillar. Unfortunately, I was in between.

_This is a rather… distracting position. _I gulped. _I can smell her perfume…_

The guard's footsteps faded away. Yukari let out the breath she was holding and I quickly let her go. I laughed feebly. "That's that then… Let's go."

Then, a cheery chime rang out. "Aah!" Yukari shrieked, making me jump as well. "M-my cellphone… Why now?!" She muttered. "S-sorry about that. It took me by surprise."

"Me too." I chuckled. "Your tenseness is contagious, Yukari."

"Ugh. Whatever." She shook her head. "Let's just go. This place is creepy at night."

Once we made sure that the security guard was gone, Yukari and I made our way to the Faculty office. The desks were as varied as the teachers who owned them, some had papers piled together neatly, some had papers piled together messily, and some had no papers at all. The decorations all varied as well.

Yukari started to sift through the nearest desk as I walked over to another. "No… no… It's so dark that I can barely read these." She muttered as she went through the keys. "What does this one say?" She handed me one of the keys.

"… Morgue?"

She glared at me. "Are you trying to scare me or something?"

I shook my head and turned over the key. "Ah. It says Gym on the other side!"

"Must be the school nurse's work." She sighed. "Let's go meet the others in the main hallway."

We found the other three already waiting at the entrance hall. "We found the key." I held it up for them to see.

"Ya know, I heard a scream that sounded familiar…" Junpei smirked.

"Huh?" Yukari reacted.

"You actually did?" Junpei laughed. "I was just kidding!"

Akihiko and I sighed. "Shut up, Stupei!" Yukari yelled.

"Keep it down." Akihiko-senpai scolded the two of them again as he helped Mitsuru-senpai prepare the equipment.

Completely ignoring the arguing juniors, Mitsuru-senpai told us to form two teams again. "Three of you will enter Tartarus, and one of you will remain outside with me. Once the Dark Hour has begun, I'll determine Yamagishi's position."

"I'll go." Akihiko-senpai turned to me. "You should come too. You can take the lead as always."

"I'll be the third then-" Yukari started to say, but was interrupted by Junpei.

"W-wait a minute! Remember how I accidentally screwed up on the monorail?" He asked.

_Accidentally...?_

"Gimme a chance to make up for that!"

"Alright, Junpei." Akihiko-senpai said before Yukari could butt in. "We'll give you another shot."

"Seriously…?!" Yukari protested.

"What's wrong, Yukari?" Akihiko smiled. "Don't want to be paired up with Mitsuru?"

Mitsuru cast a questioning glance at Yukari. "N-no! It's not that…" Yukari waved her hands.

I shrugged. "Now that that's settled, let's go!"

Junpei, Akihiko-senpai and I went inside the Gym and waited while the other two went outside the school. The three of us remained nervous but silent as the Dark Hour approached.

_DARK HOUR_

The floor rumbled and the walls rushed up to meet us as the moon outside became larger and brighter. Junpei yelled as he avoided one wall that nearly crushed him. The floor suddenly rose, making the three of us lose our footing. It suddenly became a rollercoaster of death.

The floor kept rising, and for a moment I could see the moon come closer to us. The three of us yelled as another green floor or wall creaked and sprouted beside Akihiko-senpai. We saw numerous different statues form from the shifting walls surrounding us.

After a while, the now violet coloured floor we were on stopped rising.

Junpei gasped. "Is it… is it over?"

Apparently, it wasn't.

The wall on my side vibrated. The three of us stared at it, knowing there was nothing we could do. My side of the floor suddenly crumbled and I fell through. "Minato!" I heard Junpei and Akihiko yell as the vibrating wall fell and took the place of the floor I fell through.

…

….

…..

I was still falling though.

I desperately looked around for something I could hold on to. I grabbed one statue that protruded from a golden wall and held on for dear life. I gasped as my arms held the brunt of my weight and gravity. But of course, Tartarus hated me. The statue cracked and I fell again… and the darkness claimed me.

_TARTARUS, 2__nd__ BLOCK_

_?th Floor_

"Are you awake?" A voice said as I came to, still hugging the stupid golden statue. I shoved the statue away from me and grunted when my arms and back protested.

"This is the first time we've spoken outside of your room." The voice said. I turned to look at the speaker and saw that it was the Ghost Kid from before.

"Oh. It's you." I grunted as I tried to stand up. _I am NEVER doing that again…_ "How… how did you get here?"

The kid chuckled. "Didn't I tell you? I'm always with you."

I finally succeeded at standing up. "What are you talking about?"

He shook his head. "We don't have much time to talk. Tonight, there is more than one ordeal you must face…"

I suddenly remembered what I was thinking about earlier. "Ordeal… and… this ordeal happens every full moon?"

"She is waiting for you." The kid said, obviously not answering my question. "You should hurry. You guys will need her."

_What? Who is this… she? Does he mean Fuuka?_

The kid chuckled. "We'll speak again." He said before disappearing before my eyes.

I groaned and stretched. _What the heck is that kid's problem?_

"…_sato!... Are… alright?-" _Mitsuru's voice cracked from the transceiver that was surprisingly still in my ear.

"Senpai?" I pressed the transceiver. "I was separated from the others. I don't know where they are."

"… _distance… too far. … can't provi-… back up…" _I couldn't hear anything else but static.

_Damn it. I'm probably too far up to hear anything clearly. But without her, how am I supposed to find Yamagishi, not to mention Junpei and Akihiko-senpai…_

I sighed and removed my sword from its sheath. _Might as well go forward._ I walked around the corner to find a shadow. It looked like a tower with three blue faces that swiveled around a common axis. I pressed the transceiver out of habit, then shook my head and took my evoker instead.

"Nekomata!" I ordered it to cleave the shadow, effectively killing the creature.

_Wonder that shadow was called…_

I wandered the floor killing shadow after shadow. The shadows on this floor were weaker than the ones we encountered on the way to the 40th floor. However, killing them without analysis backup was harder than I realized.

"_Who's there?"_ A voice suddenly called out. I pressed the transceiver thinking it was Mitsuru, but nothing but static came. "_…Are you human?_" the voice asked.

"Hello?" I called out. "Hello?" Nothing but the echoes of my own voice answered me. As I rounded the next corner, I saw the stairs and climbed it quickly.

"_What's… current location?... Reply… -mmediately."_

"I'm still on the 2nd block from what I can see. The shadows here are weaker so I think I'm lower than 40…"

_Although if that's the case, then why is communication breaking up? We had no problem contacting each other at the 40__th__ floor._

"_Where am I?"_ The voice from earlier again. "_Please help…"_

_It's a good thing Yukari wasn't here… or she would have been jumping at every shadow. …Pun not intended._

"Hello?" I called out again. "Are you Fuuka Yamagishi?"

This time though, something answered me. A Zio attack from a _Maya_ type shadow to be exact. I ordered Angel to use Garu in retaliation, being the _Maya _type shadow's weakness. The _Maya_ type sagged and I took the chance to shove my sword in its mask.

I resumed my wandering of the floor, sometimes clutching my aching back like an old man. I sighed. _I am going to feel this in the morning…_

"_Please resp- Can y—hear me?"_ Senpai.

"_Please answer me. Who are you?"_ Voice. Probably Fuuka's.

I shook my head, knowing by now that neither of them could hear my responses. I climbed up to the next floor. _I don't know how longer I can keep this up… I've already killed a lot of shadows… and I still haven't recovered from that fall._

I wandered the next floor as quickly as I could. As I rounded one corner, I was ambushed by three more _Maya_ type shadows. The first attacked me from behind, and the other two darted away as I sent a Garu towards the first one.

_Damn it._

I stood up and ran towards the other two, avoiding the Zio attacks they sent my way. I jumped to avoid an attack and shoved my sword through its mask as I landed. However, the last _Maya_ type decided to attack me, causing me to dodge and leave my sword on the ground.

"Angel!" I sent another Garu towards the last one, effectively killing it. I bent up to retrieve my sword, but then I sensed something coming up behind me.

I quickly turned around, my sword in attack position.

"Aah!" A pale girl with short blue-green hair gasped as my sword touched her throat. Luckily, I was able to stop the momentum that would have cut her head off her shoulders. Sensing that she wasn't a threat, I sighed and crouched on the floor, exhausted by everything that happened. "S-sorry about that." I panted.

The girl shakily nodded. "I-I sensed something erasing those… creatures… A-and I…"

I stood up and laughed feebly. "It's okay." I gave her a reassuring smile. "You're Fuuka Yamagishi, correct?"

The girl nodded. "H-how do you know who I am?"

"Well… we came here to rescue you." I scratched my head. "But apparently, I'm lost."

"Did you say 'we'?"

I nodded.

"I-I think I can sense two people on the floor above us…" She looked upwards.

_Sense? Is she like Mitsuru-senpai? *sigh* In any case, we should go upstairs._

"Um… Fuuka?"

She turned towards me.

"You can tell where the… creatures are can't you? Why don't you lead the way?"

"Uh… of course." She walked. She faced one way, shook her head and then walked down the opposite direction. Fuuka did this at every crossroad and she even stopped in her tracks twice, making me bump into her. Eventually, we reached the stairs without encountering a single Shadow.

"There you are!" Akihiko exclaimed as soon as we saw him and Junpei. "Oh, and is this… Fuuka Yamagishi?"

"Wow, you're alive! That's awesome!" Junpei smiled. "Never fear, Junpei's here!"

"Hello, Mitsuru?" Akihiko-senpai said to his transceiver. "Minato and Yamagishi's here. They both seem to be alright. …Hello?" He shook his head and turned to us. "All I hear is static…"

"We were worried about you, man!" Junpei slapped my shoulder. "Oh, and are you okay? You look ready to fall asleep."

_I actually DO want to sleep…_ I sighed and waved his arm off. "I'm fine."

"Hey, Yamagishi." Akihiko-senpai was holding out an Evoker. "Take this for your safety."

Fuuka gasped.

"It's not a real gun, Fuuka-san. It's more like a… lucky charm." I told her, took my own Evoker and held it to my temple. "See here… Cadenza!"

"Ah. That feels better…" I muttered as the fusion spell soothed my aching back. Fuuka gaped at me, however.

"Show off." Junpei rolled his eyes. "That was a Persona, Fuuka-chan. We all have 'em." He laughed. "And so do you."

Fuuka only looked more confused. "Huh? P-Persona…? B-but where are we? I-I thought I was in school?"

"It's a long story." Akihiko-senpai chuckled, then he looked like he remembered something. "Oh, but how did you manage to stay here so long?"

"Apparently, she can detect where the Shadows are. She's might have the same thing Mitsuru-senpai has." I answered for her.

"Huh? Really?" Junpei beamed. "That's awesome!"

"Maybe she's even stronger." Akihiko-senpai looked impressed. "Since Mitsuru's Persona is more battle-oriented."

"Um… you keep mentioning _Mitsuru…_" Fuuka still looked confused… _anyone_ would actually. "Do you mean the Student Council President?"

Akihiko smiled. "Uh huh. But we'll explain more when we get back. You're probably exhausted."

The four of us looked around until we came across an open hallway where the full moon was clearly visible. The_ Ordeal…_ The others stopped as well when they noticed me looking at the moon.

_Ordeal… _I suddenly remembered Yukari's comment about how creepy the moon gets when it was full. That was the night we faced the …Priestess…

"Akihiko-senpai!" I turned to him. "Was it a full moon on the day the dorm was attacked?"

"I think so." He pondered my question for a bit.

I remembered Thanatos, the persona that came out of Orpheus… The bright light from the moon made Thanatos look even more menacing… Bright light from the _FULL_ moon…

"Damn it!" I yelled. "We have to get back to the entrance! Yukari and Mitsuru-senpai are in danger!"

"Huh? Why?" Junpei asked.

"The big shadows…" Akihiko-senpai muttered, coming to the same conclusion I did. "They all attack during the full moon!"

"W-what is this?" Fuuka interrupted, making all of us look at her. "It's much bigger than the others… and it's attacking someone!"

"We have to hurry!"

_TARTARUS ENTRANCE_

The four of us arrived at the Entrance to find two large shadows attacking Mitsuru and Yukari. One shadow was potbellied and held a wand or staff in its hand. The other shadow was tall and wielded a giant sword. The two girls already looked tired but it looked like the battle was just getting started for the two Shadows.

"Penthesilea!" Mitsuru sent out her Persona and sent a Bufu spell towards the sword-wielding one, making the shadow fall to its knees.

"Jack Frost!" I sent out a Bufu spell towards the same shadow, only to be surprised when the shadow shrugged off the attack. "What the heck?!"

"They… their properties change." Mitsuru-senpai panted as she tried to fight. "Nothing's working!"

_Their properties change? Damn it…_

"Yuka-tan, senpai! Get outta here! We'll cover you!" Junpei yelled at the two of them as he ran to my right.

"Go!" Akihiko-senpai yelled when the girls were defiant. "Fuuka, stay back!"

Fuuka was staring at the two large Shadows. _She must have reached her limit for craziness tonight._

"We have to distract the shadows!" Junpei exclaimed when the slow moving creatures turned to Fuuka. "Hermes!"

Hermes flew around the two shadows effectively catching their attention. However, the tall shadow deemed Hermes an irritation and swatted it with the giant sword. "Agh!" Junpei cringed.

"Fuuka… I came to apologize…" The entrance door opened revealing Natsuki Moriyama walking as if in a trance. She didn't even blink at the two large creatures in front of her.

"What? How did she…?" Yukari questioned. "Stay back!"

"Please, get out of here! It's dangerous!" Fuuka ran over to where Moriyama was… however, she ran in the path of the two shadows.

"Orpheus!" I sent Orpheus to block the sword that was coming for Fuuka and gritted my teeth as I felt the pain through Orpheus.

The shadow with a wand sent a Zio attack towards Orpheus and since I had to keep pushing against the sword, I couldn't make Orpheus avoid. Akihiko-senpai's Caesar flew in front of the Zio attack and took the hit that was meant for Orpheus. "Thanks senpai." I said through gritted teeth.

The tall shadow soon got irritated in the lock with Orpheus and raised the sword. I ordered my persona to fade as the sword came crashing down, cracking Tartarus' floor.

"Look out!" Junpei yelled as the potbellied shadow sent a Garu spell towards Fuuka and Moriyama. He sent Hermes to take the brunt of the attack. "Agh! Dammit!"

_We can't keep on the defensive much longer. But without Mitsuru-senpai's help we can't anticipate their attacks… _

The taller shadow suddenly charged Junpei, Akihiko and me, causing us to scatter in order to avoid it. However, that gave the potbellied shadow a chance to attack Fuuka and Moriyama.

Fuuka put the gun to her head as the Bufu spell came hurtling towards them. "_Lucia!_" A persona nearly twice the size of ours emerged. It had a woman's figure but its lower body was a dome that covered Fuuka and Moriyama in it. The Bufu spell failed to penetrate the protective dome.

"_I… can see their weaknesses."_ Fuuka's voice came from Lucia.

"Take my place, Yamagishi!" Mitsuru yelled.

"We'll take care of this." Akihiko-senpai muttered as the taller shadow untangled itself from the wall it crashed into.

**Author's Note**: Aand cut! Another quick update! Hm… I'm actually updating everyday… Anyways how was it? Perfect place for a cliffhanger, right? Haha.

P.S: Goodness… I can't put into words how embarrassed I am by posting the same/previous chapter twice. Ugh. I actually meant to post this one, but apparently… I made a mistake somewhere… Sorry people!


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